C-  . /o  ,/C  . 


H)E  SI;rnIogtra/ 

PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


’ir, 


Purchased  by  the  Mary  Cheves  Dulles  Fund. 


Division 


DS710 


Section  -^  ■ 


K5 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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https://archive.org/details/faceofchinatrave00kemp_0 


THE  FACE  OF 

CHINA 


rilK  Al’  I liOk  AS  nilNKSK  ■' I'K.MAl.K  TUAVKI  I.lMl  SCIIOI.AK 


THE  FACE  OF 

CHINA 

TRAVELS  IN  EAST,  NORTH,  CENTRAL 
AND  WESTERN  CHINA  f WITH  SOME 
ACCOUNT  OF  THE  NEW  SCHOOLS,UNI- 
VERSITIES,  MISSIONS,  AND  THE  OLD 
RELIGIOUS  SACRED  PLACES  OF  CON- 
FUCIANISM, BUDDHISM,  AND  TAOISM 
THEWHOLEW^TEN^ff  ILLUSTRATED 
BY  E.  G.  KEMP,  F.R.S.G.S. 


NEW  YORK 

DUFFIELD  ^ COMPANY 


1909 


All  rights  reserved 


THIS  BOOK 

IS  DEDICATED  TO  THE  FRIEND 

TO  WHOSE  SUGGESTION  AND  ENCOURAGEMENT 
IT  OWES  ITS  EXISTENCE 


PRINCIPAL  MARCUS  DODS,  D.D 


PREFACE 

Every  intelligent  person  that  I have  met 
whose  good  fairy  has  led  him  to  the  Celestial 
Empire  has  fallen  under  the  spell  of  that 
marvellous  people  and  marvellous  land.  I am  fired 
with  the  ambition  to  cast  that  spell  even  on  those 
who  have  never  been  there,  by  showing  them  as 
accurately  and  vividly  as  I can,  with  pen  and  brush, 
what  the  face  of  China  adfually  is. 

People  may  describe  with  success  the  soul  of  a 
people,  provided  it  is  sufficiently  near  the  surface, 
but  the  foreigner  who  has  known  and  loved  China 
for  a lifetime  would  be  the  first  to  repudiate  the 
possibility  of  doing  this  in  the  case  of  China.  I 
would  rather  take  Browning’s  view — “ Nor  soul  helps 
body  more  than  body  soul  ” — and  try  to  set  down 
faithfully  the  things  I have  seen,  that  they  may  lead 
others  to  study  China  for  themselves. 

It  may  be  objedted  that  the  pidlure  is  too  much 
couleur  de  rose,  because  I have  not  dwelt  on  the  dark 
side  of  things  : but  there  is  a use  for  eyelids  as  well 
as  for  eyes. 

This  book  is  the  result  of  a year  spent  in  Shansi, 
1893-94,  and  six  months  spent  in  travel  through  the 
provinces  of  Shantung,  Chili,  Hupeh,  Szechwan,  and 
Yunnan  during  1 907-8.  The  former  visit  was  mainly 

vij 


spent  at  a medical  mission  at  Taiyiianfu,  which  was 
then  remote  from  Western  influences;  now  every- 
thing has  changed,  and  I travelled  from  north-east 
to  south-west  of  the  Empire  and  found  no  village 
untouched  by  the  great  awakening.  On  the  first 
occasion  I was  always  conscious  of  a certain  hostility 
in  the  attitude  of  the  people  towards  foreigners  ; this 
time  it  was  quite  the  reverse.  Considering  the  be- 
haviour of  many  travellers  towards  the  Chinese,  this 
seems  to  me  really  astonishing  ; but  they  are  very 
sensitive  in  their  appreciation  of  mental  attitude,  and 
they  responded  unhesitatingly  to  the  call  we  made 
on  their  chivalry  by  placing  ourselves  unreservedly 
in  their  hands.  We  were  repeatedly  warned  not  to 
do  this,  but  our  confidence  was  justified  by  the  event. 
In  no  European  country  could  we  have  been  more 
courteously  treated,  and  in  very  few  have  I travelled 
so  happily  and  so  free  from  care. 

The  journey  was  one  long  series  of  pleasant  sur- 
prises, and  my  friend  expressed  the  feelings  of  both 
of  us  when,  on  crossing  the  frontier  into  Burma,  she 
exclaimed  : “If  only  we  could  turn  round  and  go  all 
the  way  back  again  ! ” If  any  one  is  induced  by  reading 
this  book  to  make  personal  acquaintance  with  China, 
it  will  not  have  been  written  in  vain. 


NOTE 

There  is  so  little  in  this  volume  which  is 
drawn  from  other  sources  than  personal 
observation,  and  information  obtained  from 
our  Chinese  and  missionary  friends  on  the 
spot,  that  I have  thought  well  not  to 
burden  the  reader  with  foot-notes.  The 
various  details  as  to  the  religions  of  China 
are  mainly  drawn  from  an  interesting  little 
volume  by  Giles,  “ Religions  of  Ancient 
China,”  Smith’s  “ Uplift  of  China,”  and 
Hackmann’s  “Buddhism  as  a Religion”; 
while  the  account  of  the  railways  is  from 
Kent’s  “ Railway  Enterprise  in  China.” 
The  spelling  of  Chinese  names  is  ac- 
cording to  the  most  recent  standard  map, 
giving  the  orthography  of  the  Chinese 
Imperial  Post  Office. 


IX 


CONTENTS 

Preface  vij 

Note  ix 

I.  Shanghai  i 

II.  Shantung,  the  German  Sphere 

of  Influence  13 

III.  A Day  in  the  Country  (Shan- 

tung) 20 

IV.  Shantung  Silk  27 

V.  Tsinan  3 i 

VI.  The  Sacred  Shrine  of  Tai  Shan  45 

VII.  The  Home  of  Confucius  : 

Kiifovv  5 3 

VIII.  The  Yellow  River  and  Grand 

Canal  66 

IX.  Journey  into  Shansi  in  1893  73 

X.  Taiyiianfu  81 

XL  Peking  92 

xi 


T^he  Face  of  China 

XII.  The  Pehan  Railway  : from 

Peking  to  Hankow  io6 

XIII.  On  the  Yangtze  : Ichang  to 

Wanhsien  ii6 

XIV.  Szechwan  High-roads  145 

XV.  Chengtu  16 1 

XVI.  The  Min  River  173 

XVII.  Mount  Omi  182 

XVIII.  From  Szechwan  into  Yunnan  195 
XIX.  The  Road  to  Yunnan  Fu  208 

XX.  Yunnan  Fu  218 

XXL  Tali  Fu  234 

XXII.  Tali  Fu  to  Teng  Yueh  241 

XXIII.  From  China  into  Burma  252 

XXIV.  The  Present  Situation  in  China  257 

Table  of  Dynasties  271 

Index  273 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Coloured  Plates 

Portrait  of  Author  as  Chinese  “ Female  Travel- 


ling  Scholar”  (p,  236) 

Frontispiece 

Tea-House  in  Old  Shanghai 

6 

A Suburb  of  Weihsien 

16 

A Village  School 

24 

Official  (Court  Dress) 

30 

Mountain  Chair 

46 

Tai  Shan 

48 

Private  House : Kiifow 

54 

Confucian  Temple 

56 

Mounted  Military  Escort 

64 

Our  Houseboat,  Grand  Canal 

69 

Camel  Inn 

74 

Opium  Refuge 

80 

Theatre  Stage 

82 

Pagoda 

84 

Tiger  Brave 

86 

Scholar — Southern  Servant 

91 

City  Wall  of  Peking 

92 

Temple  of  Heaven 

96 

A Lady  of  Quality — An  Official 

100 

Boxer — Kachin  Woman  (p.  253) 

104 

xiij 


The  Face  of  China 

Mr.  Ku  io6 

The  Brakeman  on  the  Pehan  Railway  io8 

Ancestral  Tablet  120 

Blue  Dawn  122 

Yeh  Tan  Rapid  124 

Village  and  Junk  1^2 

The  Look-out  on  the  Yangtze  134 

Camel-back  Bridge  144 

Szechwan  Highway  1 30 

Sunlight  and  Mist  in  the  Mountains  158 

Buddhist  Monastery  166 

Military  Yamen  171 

House  on  Min  River  179 

Otter  Fishing  on  Min  River  181 

Mount  Omi  Bridge  187 

Summit  of  Mount  Omi  192 

Copper  Idol,  Sui  Fu  ip6 

Cormorants  on  the  Cormorant  River  198 

Laowatan  River  201 

Wha  Miao  206 

Bridegroom — Funeral  Pagoda  213 

Temple  of  the  God  of  Literature  221 

Fellow-Travellers  226 

Tomb  of  a Philosopher  among  Rice-fields  229 

Tali  Fu  235 

Shan  Woman  249 


XIV 


Illustrations 


Sepia  Drawings 

Cemetery  of  Confucius 
Old  Examination  Buildings 
Great  Wall 
Chinese  Graves 
River-side  Shrine 
The  Chef  on  the  Yangtze 
City  Gate  : Chengtu 
Police  Boatman  : Min  River 
Signboard  of  Inn 
Buddhist  Monk  beating  Fish  Gong 
Chanting 
Tiger  Shrine 
Our  Military  Escort  ] 

“ Orphan  Spirit  ” ShrineJ 
Tower  of  Refuge  | 

“ Omi  to  fu”  Shrine] 

Miao  Woman 
Upland  Village] 

Uh  Chai  f 
Yunnan  Hat  | 

Lolo  Woman] 

Village  Screen  Wall 
Carrying-Chair 
Suspension-Bridge 
Bridge  made  of  Creepers 

XV 


6i 
88 
I lO 
1 16 

141 

160 

1 8 1 


while'! 


189 


203 


204 

206 

208 


21 1 

233 

243 

244 


THE  FACE  OF  CHINA 


CHAPTER  I 

Shanghai 

My  first  voyage  to  China  was  unspeakably 
distasteful,  and  as  we  neared  Hong  Kong  we 
were  suddenly  caught  up  in  the  tail  of  a 
typhoon  and  carried  for  forty-eight  hours  wherever 
it  pleased  to  take  us.  Most  of  that  time  we  were 
without  food,  and  could  not  even  get  a cup  of  tea  ; 
while  we  found  it  hard  work  to  cling  to  a seat. 
When  we  emerged  from  the  storm,  and  steamed  into 
the  wonderful  bay  of  Hong  Kong,  it  seemed  like 
Paradise  ; it  looked  to  my  eyes  the  most  beautiful 
harbour  I had  ever  seen  : and  I have  seen  nearly  all 
the  most  celebrated  ones,  without  feeling  tempted  to 
change  my  opinion.  The  first  introduction  to  a new 
country,  if  it  happens  to  be  when  the  faculties  are 
specially  quickened,  makes  an  indelible  impression, 
and  from  this  time  China  has  been  to  me  a land  of 
infinite  charm  and  beauty.  The  more  I have  seen 
of  it,  the  more  I have  realised  its  fascination  ; even 
its  ugliness  is  interesting. 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

Hong  Kong  lies  along  the  shore,  with  a steep  cliff 
rising  abruptly  behind  it,  called  the  Peak,  and  the 
typhoon  had  laid  parts  of  it  in  ruins,  and  unroofed 
many  of  the  houses,  so  that  it  was  by  no  means 
looking  its  best.  British  pride  swelled  within  me  as 
I thought  of  the  transformation  that  had  taken  place 
in  half  a century.  When  it  was  ceded  to  the  British 
it  was  a barren  island,  with  a population  of  5000 
inhabitants  ; now  it  is  the  second  largest  port  in  the 
Empire,  with  a population  of  238,724.  There  is 
an  immense  boat  population  ; whole  families  have 
lived  from  generation  to  generation  in  their  boats 
along  the  shore.  In  Hong  Kong,  East  and  West  live 
happily  together,  learning  to  appreciate  one  another. 
Chinese  merchants  are  members  of  its  council  and 
take  an  adlive  part  in  its  government.  It  has  become 
not  only  the  greatest  shipping  but  also  the  greatest 
banking  centre  of  the  East,  and  it  is  a significant  fadt 
that  it  contributes  annually  ^20,000  to  the  British 
Treasury  as  its  military  contribution. 

From  Hong  Kong  to  Shanghai  is  but  a step,  and 
at  first  sight  the  latter  seems  almost  as  European  as 
the  former.  The  landing,  after  coming  up  one  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Yangtze  River,  is  in  the  centre  of  a 
promenade,  with  broad  grass  borders  between  it  and 
the  road,  along  which  lie  the  finest  commercial  build- 
ings of  the  city  for  the  distance  of  more  than  a mile. 
This  is  the  Bund,  the  most  imposing  part  of  the 
concession.  It  may  be  well  to  mention  what  a 
“ concession  ” is,  as  this  is  a term  continually  used 


ch.  i Shanghai 

with  regard  to  the  treaty  ports,  such  as  Tientsin, 
Hankow,  and  Shanghai.  It  is  a right  granted  to 
Europeans  to  inhabit  a certain  defined  area,  to  possess 
property  in  it  (no  private  individual  except  a China- 
man has  the  right  to  buy  land  for  building  on,  in 
China,  although  it  is  occasionally  done  in  the  interior), 
to  live  under  European  law,  to  have  their  own  police 
and  manage  their  own  affairs.  The  Shanghai  con- 
cession was  mapped  out  in  1843  George  (then 

Captain)  Balfour,  and  is  on  a broad  cosmopolitan 
basis  : later  on  the  French  obtained  one  adjoining  it, 
and  then  the  Americans.  Many  Europeans  live  out- 
side the  concession,  especially  in  a quarter  where  the 
English  have  laid  out  a charming  shady  road,  perhaps 
the  most  tortuous  in  existence — so  as  to  avoid  dese- 
crating graves  ; it  is  called  the  Bubbling  Well  Road. 
The  concessions  have  their  own  post-offices,  where 
you  call  for  letters,  if  you  happen  to  expedl  any  from 
the  country  to  which  they  belong.  We  found  the 
Russian  post-office  up  a staircase  in  a thoroughly 
unofficial-looking  house. 

The  traveller,  however,  on  landing  at  Shanghai 
ought  not  to  drive  along  the  Bund  to  the  pleasant 
Astor  House  Hotel,  but  should  make  a detour  into 
the  Chinese  streets  Nankin  Loo,  or  Foochow  Loo, 
densely  thronged  streets,  where  nineteen  out  of  every 
twenty  people  wear  blue  robes,  varying  in  shade  from 
deepest  ultramarine  to  palest  aquamarine.  One  is 
accustomed  to  think  of  the  Chinese  as  quiet,  slow- 
going  people,  but  the  traffic  of  Shanghai  is  so  great 

3 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

that  I know  no  place  where  you  are  more  conscious 
of  business  bustle.  The  crowd  in  the  streets  is  almost 
entirely  composed  of  men  and  boys,  so  that  it  is  hard 
to  imagine  where  room  is  found  for  the  women  and 
children,  even  the  balconies  and  shops  as  well  as  streets 
being  packed  with  men.  It  is  estimated  that  Shanghai 
has  160,000  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile.  It  is 
necessary  to  visit  old  Shanghai  really  to  see  what  it 
can  be,  and  it  is  a mistake  to  be  deterred  from  doing 
this  (as  many  visitors  are)  on  account  of  its  special 
squalor  and  dirt,  or  by  the  absurd  statement  that  all 
Chinese  cities  are  alike. 

You  pass  into  the  real  Shanghai  through  two  low 
gateways,  set  at  right  angles  from  one  another,  where 
no  vehicle  is  ever  allowed  to  enter  ; indeed,  such  a 
thing  is  pradlically  impossible.  The  streets  are  so 
narrow  and  tortuous  that  it  is  hard  even  for  carriers 
to  force  a passage  through  the  crowd.  The  houses 
are  fairly  high,  and  innumerable  signboards  (long, 
narrow  boards  covered  with  gilt  charadlers  which 
read  from  bottom  to  top)  hanging  overhead  block 
out  the  light  and  hinder  any  current  of  air  from 
driving  away  evil  smells.  The  entrances  to  the  shops 
are  lined  with  Chinese  lanterns  of  every  shape,  size, 
and  colour  : when  lit,  they  cast  a kindly  glamour 
over  the  celestials  below,  very  different  from  the  piti- 
less glare  of  eledlric  light.  There  is  no  gaudy  display 
of  goods  in  shop  windows,  for  there  are  no  windows  ; 
just  an  open  counter  on  which  a few  specimens  may 
be  lying,  probably  in  a glass  case.  The  walls  are 

4 


ch.  i Sha7tghai 

lined  from  floor  to  ceiling  with  shallow  drawers, 
filled  with  endless  little  parcels  containing  the  rest  of 
the  stock-in-trade.  Despite  the  squalid  surroundings 
and  the  tininess  of  the  shops,  this  may  be  very  valu- 
able (for  the  Chinese  are  great  lovers  of  curios),  jade, 
bronze,  ivory,  china,  or  silver.  Along  with  such 
things  are  mixed  the  most  absurd  rubbish,  mainly 
European  goods.  Many  shops  contain  a row  of 
finely  carved  chairs  to  accommodate  purchasers,  and 
elaborately  decorated  woodwork,  such  as  screens  with 
beautiful  groups  of  figures  at  one  end.  We  should 
have  liked  to  buy  many  things,  but  this  is  not  to  be 
done  lightly,  and  several  days  of  diplomatic  dealing 
are  required  before  purchaser  and  seller  can  come  to 
terms  in  the  orthodox  way.  No  Eastern  would  be 
satisfied  with  the  monotony  of  our  Western  methods. 
The  whole  street  is  interested  in  the  performance,  and 
looks  on  as  at  a play.  The  amount  of  business  trans- 
acted appears  to  be  in  inverse  proportion  to  the  number 
of  shops. 

We  threaded  our  way  through  a maze  of  lanes  till 
we  came  to  the  centre  of  the  town — the  original  of 
the  celebrated  willow  pattern  ^ — and  as  picturesque  a 

‘ The  legend  of  the  Willow  Pattern  (introduced  into  England  by  Minton  in 
1780)  is  as  follows  : — Koong-Shee,  the  daughter  of  a wealthy  mandarin,  fell  in 
love  with  her  father’s  secretary,  Chang.  She  had  been  already  affianced  to 
a wealthy  suitor,  so  her  father  shut  her  up  in  his  house  close  by  the  tea- 
garden.  Koong-Shee  begged  Chang  to  help  her  to  escape  before  the  peach 
came  into  blossom,  and  he  succeeded  in  doing  so.  In  the  willow  pattern 
they  are  seen  escaping  across  the  bridge.  They  were  followed,  alas  ! by  the 
irate  suitor  to  a distant  island,  where  he  set  fire  to  their  house.  The  spirits 
of  the  lovers  were  transmuted  into  doves,  which  are  seen  hovering  over  their 
old  haunts. 


5 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

spot,  in  the  mellow  evening  light,  as  you  could  pos- 
sibly imagine.  A weed-covered  pond,  fringed  by 
willows,  surrounds  the  group  of  tea-houses,  which 
are  reached  by  a zigzag  bridge,  across  which  passes  a 
ceaseless  stream  of  blue-robed  passengers  : gentlemen 
carrying  their  birds  out  for  an  airing  ; mothers  with 
babies  in  their  arms,  wearing  gaily  coloured  caps  sur- 
mounted by  scarlet  tufts  ; coolies  with  heavy  loads  ; 
children  dangling  sundry  purchases,  such  as  a bit  of 
meat  or  vegetables,  from  the  end  of  a string  or  blade 
of  grass — a fascinating  throng  to  watch,  if  not  to  be 
absorbed  into  ! 

Close  to  the  garden  is  a mandarin’s  palace,  into 
which  we  gained  admittance  after  much  hammering. 
The  reception-rooms  were  lofty  and  dignified,  fur- 
nished only  with  Chinese  lanterns,  some  handsomely 
carved  chairs,  alternating  with  little  tables  (just  large 
enough  to  accommodate  tea-things)  set  in  two  rows 
facing  one  another,  and  scrolls  on  the  walls.  The 
garden  was  entirely  composed  of  rockwork,  with  the 
greatest  possible  length  of  pathway  comprised  in  the 
smallest  possible  area.  One  of  the  stairways  led  up 
to  a handsome  summer-house  with  a balustrade  con- 
sisting of  a sinuous  dragon,  some  forty  feet  long,  carved 
in  stone.  Beside  his  gaping  jaws  sat  a little  stone  frog, 
preparing  to  leap  in — a good  specimen  of  the  humour 
which  makes  Chinese  art  so  attractive.  A few  willows 
and  shrubs  adorned  the  garden,  but  no  flowers — a 
feature  characteristic  of  Chinese  gardens,  where  design 
and  architectural  work  such  as  summer-houses,  bridges, 

6 


TKA  MOUSK  IN  OLD  SHANGHAI 


ch.  i Sha?i^hai 

o 

and  walls  are  the  most  important  matters.  On  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  inner  walls  of  this  garden  were 
stone  medallions,  representing  scenes  in  the  Man- 
darin’s life. 

On  emerging  from  the  garden  by  a different  door 
from  the  one  we  came  in  at,  we  were  confronted  by 
a row  of  images,  and  found  it  was  a joss  ( = w'orship) 
house  ; the  few  worshippers  present  were  prostrating 
themselves — two  at  a time — before  the  altar,  behind 
which  stood  the  gods.  The  air  was  laden  with  the 
smell  of  incense,  joss-sticks  burning  in  a stand  on  the 
altar  ; and  huge  stone  lions  guarded  the  door.  It 
was  apparently  the  quietest  and  least  frequented  part 
of  the  city. 

In  the  courtyard  was  a fine  bronze  monument,  said 
to  be  over  2000  years  old,  round  which  a market  was 
going  on ; the  people  sitting  on  the  ground,  surrounded 
by  their  wares,  mainly  vegetables.  By  way  of  variety 
there  was  a man  with  a large  assortment  of  coal-black 
tresses  of  hair  for  sale,  as  even  the  poorest  Chinaman 
is  not  above  improving  his  queue  with  a false  addi- 
tion : also  there  was  a large  basket  full  of  grasshoppers 
in  cages  about  an  inch  square,  “ shrilling  ” at  the  top 
of  their  voices.  From  this  courtyard  ran  a street  full 
of  shops  of  cooked  meats.  Above  the  counters  hung 
split  dried  ducks,  which  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
petrified  in  the  act  of  flying  with  outstretched  necks 
and  wings.  Below  them  were  baskets  full  of  eggs, 
black  with  age,  preserved  in  a mixture  of  straw  and 
lime,  esteemed  a great  delicacy,  as  also  seaweeds  and 

7 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

sea-slugs — the  most  revolting,  evil-smelling  things — 
like  fat  caterpillars.  Rows  of  little  dishes  contained 
various  kinds  of  relishes,  and  there  were  piles  of  white 
square  steamed  flour  dumplings,  which  is  the  Chinese 
form  of  bread. 

Passing  up  the  street,  you  come  to  a vegetable  stall, 
the  most  exquisite  harmony  in  reds  and  yellows  ; 
scarlet  persimmons,  bananas,  pomeloes  like  yellow 
cannon-balls,  yellow  and  scarlet  capsicums,  all  sorts  of 
nuts,  a yellowish  fruit  shaped  like  a hand  and  called 
“ Buddha’s  fingers,”  and  baskets  of  dingy-coloured 
grapes,  were  some  of  the  things  for  sale.  Rotten 
pears  cut  in  half  seemed  to  find  a ready  sale  ; and  a 
propos  of  pears,  I must  tell  how  a lady  in  Peking  peeled 
one  for  my  sister  with  her  finger-nail  ! and  how 
another,  in  describing  the  shocking  extravagance  of 
her  neighbour,  ended  as  a climax  with  the  statement, 
“ She  actually  throws  away  her  pear  skins  ! ” 

The  next  street  was  full  of  coffin  shops,  particularly 
dear  to  the  Chinese  heart,  as  a coffin  is  a complimen- 
tary gift  from  a son  to  his  father.  They  were  mostly 
black,  and  would  probably  be  ornamented  with  gilt 
lettering ; but  in  Canton  scarlet  coffins  are  the  fashion. 

Nauseous  smells  rose  from  the  open  gutters. 
Myriads  of  mosquitoes  are  wont  to  settle  upon  hapless 
visitors,  but  a solution  of  eau  de  Cologne  and  pyre- 
thrum  rubbed  over  face,  ankles,  and  other  vulnerable 
spots  kept  us  fairly  immune. 

Leaving  old  Shanghai,  you  come  into  a whirling 
throng  of  carriages,  wheelbarrows,  and  rickshas,  of 

8 


ch.  i Shanghai 

which  there  are  thousands  darting  about.  When  an 
Englishman  happens  to  be  the  occupant,  the  speed 
of  the  ricksha  is  automatically  accelerated.  Whole 
families  of  Chinese  women  and  children,  dressed  in 
every  colour  of  the  rainbow,  manage  to  pile  them- 
selves on  the  barrows.  At  the  street  corners  stand 
Sikh  policemen,  tall  handsome  men  with  dazzling 
white  turbans,  who  contrast  finely  with  the  celestials. 
There  is  a greater  variety  of  vehicles  in  use  here  than 
in  any  other  place  that  I have  visited  in  the  East,  and 
they  all  go  much  too  fast  for  the  safety  of  passengers, 
considering  the  narrowness  of  the  roads.  The  slightest 
push  upsets  a barrow.  The  swiftest  of  all  the  vehicles 
is  a sort  of  low  victoria,  drawn  by  a rat-like  pony. 
This  is  specially  used  by  stockbrokers,  who  dash  out 
of  an  office  into  it,  one  foot  in  the  carriage  and  one 
on  the  step  : they  never  think  of  sitting  down,  but 
are  whisked  away  to  another  office,  into  which  they 
dash  like  lunatics,  and  so  on  ad  injinitum.  A feverish 
activity  seems  to  possess  all  the  business  population, 
and  every  movement  says  “Time  is  money.”  It  is 
only  in  the  evening  that  the  business  folk  of  Shanghai 
may  be  seen  strolling  along  the  Bund  or  sitting  on 
the  benches,  which  are  labelled  “ Europeans  only.” 
Hard  by  is  the  public  garden,  where  no  Chinaman 
is  allowed  to  enter — an  offensive  piece  of  insolence 
as  long  as  other  Eastern  races  can  strut  about  in  it  ; 
but  it  is  in  keeping  with  the  attitude,  unfortunately, 
of  a large  number  of  Europeans  towards  the  race 
among  whom  they  dwell.  Not  long  ago  a notice 

9 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

might  have  been  seen,  “ No  Chinamen  or  dogs  ad- 
mitted.” 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  Chinese  post-office  is 
in  the  foreign  concession,  but  the  reason  is  that  it 
is  under  European  management  together  with  the 
customs,  which  are  under  the  same  roof.  If  you  wish 
to  send  off  a parcel  to  Europe,  you  must  first  take  it 
to  the  Customs  House,  where  it  has  to  be  opened  for 
examination.  If  you  happen  to  be  a lady  you  are 
shown  into  a division  marked  “ Ladies  only,”  and  the 
Chinese  officials  save  you  all  further  trouble  : they  do 
your  parcel  up  with  a dexterity  which  makes  you 
envious,  and  seal  it  according  to  regulation  ; and  it  is 
all  accomplished  with  a swiftness  and  courtesy  that 
might  well  be  copied  at  home. 

One  day  we  drove  to  the  fine  American  college  of 
St.  John’s,  about  five  miles  from  the  city.  We  passed 
along  the  Nanking  Road,  where  the  most  beautiful 
Chinese  shops  are.  The  fa9ades  are  of  handsome 
carved  gilt  woodwork,  with  balconies  in  which  there 
were  parties  of  men  drinking  tea.  Unfortunately, 
these  shops  are  gradually  being  replaced  by  European 
shops  with  plate-glass  windows,  and  soon  this  part 
of  the  city  will  be  quite  spoilt.  Gay  carriages  were 
following  the  same  direction  as  our  own,  the  Bubbling 
Well  Road,  and  we  were  amused  to  see  in  one  a party 
of  Chinese  girls  evidently  returning  from  school,  and 
with  their  little  handmaiden  hanging  on  to  the  perch 
behind,  where  you  would  expect  to  see  a boy  in  livery. 
Inside  the  carriage  was  a mirror  and  a sort  of  dressing- 

lO 


ch.  i Shanghai 

table  and  a flower-vase,  as  the  custom  is  at  Shanghai. 
On  arrival  at  the  college,  we  were  taken  first  to  see 
tlie  orphanage,  where  tiny  little  creatures  of  about  two 
or  three  years  old  came  and  solemnly  bowed  to  us, 
with  folded  hands.  The  two  youngest  members  of 
the  establishment  were  babies,  one  of  whom  had  been 
rescued  from  destrudtion.  The  father  and  mother  had 
both  been  born  on  unlucky  days,  and  when  the  baby 
girl  had  the  same  misfortune  they  utterly  refused  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  it.  She  was  accordingly 
taken  to  St.  John’s  at  two  days  old,  and  has  thriven 
capitally.  We  visited  successively  the  boys’  and  girls’ 
schools,  and  finally  were  taken  round  the  college  by  the 
principal.  Dr.  Pott,  to  whom  is  mainly  due  the  great 
success  it  has  achieved.  There  are  about  1 20  scholars, 
all  of  whom  have  to  pass  an  entrance  examination  in 
English,  and  they  pay  what  are  considered  somewhat 
heavy  fees,  so  that  the  bulk  of  the  expense  has  not  got 
to  be  met  from  mission  funds  (American  Episcopal). 
At  present  the  only  two  final  schools  of  the  college 
are  theology  and  medicine,  but  many  of  the  students 
go  on  to  America  for  further  college  courses.  We 
visited  the  dormitories,  and  were  interested  to  com- 
pare the  boys’  belongings  with  those  of  English 
schoolboys.  Each  boy  has  his  own  teapot,  and  can 
always  get  a supply  of  boiling  water.  Many  of 
them  had  musical  instruments,  some  flowers,  some 
birds,  some  crickets.  They  are  fond  of  having 
“ cricket  matches  ” — that  is  to  say,  with  live  crickets. 
In  winter  the  boys  all  bring  hand-warmers  into  class. 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  i 

and  Nelson’s  ink-bottles  are  the  most  approved  for 
this  purpose. 

As  regards  games,  Dr.  Pott  said  that  it  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  that  Chinese  boys  can  be  got  to  exert 
themselves ; but  they  are  gradually  getting  keener,  and 
the  average  of  attainment  is  steadily  rising.  On  a 
board  in  the  college  they  have  a list  of  honours  won, 
and  this  keeps  up  the  interest.  In  answer  to  a geog- 
raphy examination  question,  “ What  are  the  five  prin- 
cipal races?”  the  answer  was,  “Fifty  yards, hurdle  race, 
©’c.”  ! The  college  has  a fine  library,  alumni  hall, 
chapel,  and  playing  grounds,  but  the  laboratory  leaves 
much  to  be  desired.  It  is  affiliated  to  an  American 
university,  and  has  the  highest  reputation  of  any  edu- 
cational establishment  in  China.  Certainly,  to  judge 
by  one  of  its  students,  who  travelled  with  us  for  six 
months  as  interpreter,  it  is  worthy  of  the  highest 
praise. 

Since  our  visit  a new  hall  has  been  added  to  it,  and 
there  will  be  accommodation  for  another  loo  students 
when  the  building  is  completed.  The  cost  is  being 
largely  defrayed  by  Chinese  well-wishers,  ^600  having 
been  already  contributed  by  them. 


CHAPTER  II 


Shantung,  the  German  Sphere 
of  Influence 

WE  left  Shanghai  by  steamer  on  October 
2nd,  and  reached  Tsingtao  (the  port 
of  Kiaochow)  at  about  8 p.m.  on  the 
3rd.  We  were  grateful  to  be  allowed  to  stop  on 
board  for  the  night,  as  our  train  started  from  a 
station  close  at  hand  at  7 a.m.,  and  we  were  saved 
the  trouble  of  going  to  an  hotel.  The  harbour  is 
picturesquely  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay, 
surrounded  by  hills  which  have  all  received  German 
names  since  the  occupation.  We  were  up  betimes, 
and  rather  disturbed  by  the  non-appearance  of  the 
Customs  House  official,  without  whose  presence  we 
could  not  go  ashore.  However,  he  appeared  in  time 
to  let  us  get  to  the  little  wayside  station,  and  we 
found  other  passengers  waiting  there,  seated  on  the 
line  with  their  luggage  in  a haphazard  way.  The 
Germans  have  not  only  got  the  concession  known  as 
Kiaochow,  but  also  thirty  miles  on  each  side  of  the 
railway  line  which  they  have  built  from  Tsingtao  to 
Tsinan,  the  capital  of  the  province,  a distance  of 
about  250  miles,  through  the  centre  of  the  province. 

13 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ii 

The  port  is  laid  out  just  like  a German  town,  and  has 
hotels,  statues,  a post-office,  commercial  buildings,  and 
private  houses.  The  place  is  a fashionable  summer 
resort,  consequently  the  prices  are  high,  and  have 
gone  up  at  least  50  per  cent,  since  the  coming  of  the 
Germans,  who  spend  money  lavishly. 

The  German  Government  has  just  decided  to  build 
a High  School  for  Chinese  boys  of  the  upper  class, 
at  a cost  of  ^30,000. 

The  rail  is  the  dearest  and  dirtiest  I have  ever 
seen.  The  officials  treat  foreigners  with  indifference, 
and  the  Chinese  with  brutality — at  least,  so  we  heard  at 
every  place  at  which  we  stayed,  and  from  the  people 
who  most  appreciated  the  coming  of  the  railway.  One 
can  only  hope  that  things  may  be  improved  later, 
and  a better  class  of  officials  put  in  charge  of  the 
line.  There  was  but  one  train  per  day  going  in  each 
diredtion,  and  the  journey  from  Tsingtao  to  Tsinan 
takes  about  twelve  hours.  Occasional  trains  run  on 
sedtions  of  the  line.  Although  money  has  been 
poured  out  like  water  to  make  the  German  occupa- 
tion a success,  the  object  has  so  far  not  been  accom- 
plished, perhaps  owing  to  lack  of  harmony  between 
the  three  principal  German  officials  in  China — the 
Governor  of  Kiaochow,  the  Ambassador,  and  the 
Commander  of  the  Fleet.  The  bulk  of  the  trade 
on  the  line  is  still  in  Chinese  hands,  and  the  mer- 
chants have  succeeded  in  getting  permission  to  build 
a branch  line  from  the  treaty  port,  Chefoo,  to 
Weihsien,  which  will  be  a great  advantage  to  them. 

14 


ch.  ii  Shantting 

Naturally  the  Germans,  after  spending  so  much  on 
their  port,  do  not  like  to  see  trade  diverted  to 
another.  They  not  only  refuse  to  build  the  line 
themselves,  but  have  memorialised  the  Throne  to 
prevent  the  Chinese  from  being  allowed  to  build  one 
either  : however,  their  representations  have  failed. 

The  province  of  Shantung  is  considerably  larger 
than  England,  and  the  most  densely  populated 
of  any  in  China — persons  to  the  square  mile. 
Although  it  is  well  cultivated  and  prosperous  in 
appearance,  the  partial  failure  of  the  crops  has  the 
immediate  effedt  of  throwing  50,000  of  the  inhabit- 
ants into  a state  of  beggary.  When  this  happens, 
the  Government  grants  each  beggar  daily  a bowl  of 
rice.  It  is  hard  to  realise  this  state  of  affairs  when 
you  pass  through  such  a prosperous-looking  country  ; 
the  crops  are  wheat,  different  kinds  of  millet,  sor- 
ghum, maize,  sweet  potatoes,  beans,  peas,  hemp, 
and  indigo.  A large  quantity  of  fruit  is  also  grown — 
pears,  apples,  apricots,  peaches,  cherries,  grapes,  per- 
simmons, &c.  Every  now  and  then  you  pass  brilliant 
patches  of  vegetables  of  various  sorts.  A villager’s 
plot  of  land  usually  contains  all  the  requisites  of  life — 
cotton  (for  clothes  and  bedding),  wheat,  potatoes,  a 
fruit-tree,  and  last,  but  not  least  in  China,  a castor-oil 
plant  ; a tew  fowls  and  pigs  will  give  him  what  most 
he  loves  in  the  way  of  food,  I have  known  a Chinese 
woman  eat  fifteen  eggs  at  a sitting,  and  she  was  sur- 
prised at  the  fit  of  indigestion  which  followed  this 
meal  ! There  is  a curious  specimen  of  fowl  cultivated 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ii 

in  this  province,  called  the  Cottonwool  fowl  ; it  is 
small,  white  and  fluffy,  looking  just  like  a toy  out  of 
a cardboard  box,  and  is  exclusively  used  as  medicine, 
especially  for  the  diseases  of  women.  Its  flesh  is  dark, 
and  the  bones  black  ; the  chickens  are  the  sweetest- 
looking  objedfs.  In  contrast,  the  pigs  of  this  part  are 
black  and  hairy. 

After  leaving  Tsingtao  the  train  travelled  slowly, 
stopping  at  every  station,  and  these  stations  are  all 
alike  except  a few  large  ones.  There  was  a ticket 
office,  and  a row  of  five  wooden-looking  Chinese 
policemen  standing  at  attention  and  drawn  up  in 
line  as  long  as  the  train  was  in  the  station.  They 
wear  black  sailor-hats,  and  hold  batons  as  if  they  were 
rifles.  For  all  the  world  they  look  like  toy  soldiers 
at  iifd.  per  dozen,  made  in  Germany.  There  are 
no  platforms  on  these  stations,  and  passengers  squat 
on  the  line  surrounded  by  their  bedding,  teapots,  and 
birdcages.  The  Chinese  take  to  railway  journeys 
like  ducks  to  water,  so  the  trains  are  well  filled.  A 
woman  may  be  seen  approaching  on  her  donkey, 
which  travels  at  about  the  same  rate  as  the  train,  so 
she  stands  a good  chance  of  catching  it  even  if  she 
has  started  rather  late.  She  is  a picturesque  objeCt 
sitting  astride  on  the  top  of  her  bedding,  attired  in  a 
blue  coat  and  pink  trousers,  tied  in  at  the  ankle  with 
pea-green  ribbons  over  white  socks  ; the  finishing 
touch  of  the  costume  being  the  coyest  imaginable 
little  pointed  embroidered  shoes. 

At  Weihsien,  which  we  reached  after  some  five 

i6 


ch.  ii  Shantung 

and  a half  hours’  travelling,  we  were  met  by  a friend, 
and  passing  out  of  the  station,  we  found  on  the  “ cab- 
stand ” a row  of  wheelbarrows  waiting  to  take  pas- 
sengers to  the  town,  about  half  a mile  distant.  The 
country  is  dotted  with  a good  number  of  trees,  mainly 
willows,  poplars,  cypresses,  and  mulberries,  above 
which  tower  the  walls  of  the  city.  We  were  carried 
in  chairs,  and  were  charmed  with  the  view,  as  a lovely 
clear  stream  flowed  at  the  base  of  the  walls,  reflecting 
a deep  blue  sky.  Weihsien  is  an  important  busi- 
ness city,  and  its  streets  are  named  after  the  trades 
plied  in  them,  such  as  Forge  Street,  Gold  Street,  and 
Silversmith  Street.  To  us  they  appeared  picturesque, 
but  some  people  might  call  them  squalid,  and  it  is 
certainly  wisest  to  look  up,  not  down.  We  passed 
through  the  outskirts  of  the  town  to  a fine-looking 
mission  station,  mainly  built  and  worked  by  Ameri- 
can Presbyterians  who  had  recently  coalesced  with 
the  English  Baptists.  This  mission  station  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  Boxers  in  1900,  but  now  there 
is  a fine  group  of  buildings,  including  boys’  and 
girls’  schools,  hospitals,  a church,  college  buildings, 
and  houses  for  workers  (who  number  about  twenty), 
and  the  whole  is  enclosed  within  a high  wall.  So 
far  the  teaching,  even  of  Western  science,  has  been 
entirely  carried  on  in  Chinese,  but  the  demand  for 
the  knowledge  of  English  is  so  pressing  that  it  has 
recently  been  added  to  the  curriculum. 

From  Weihsien  we  went  next  day  to  Tsingchowfu 
by  rail,  a journey  of  about  two  hours,  and  this  is  one 

17  B 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ii 

of  the  great  historical  centres  of  the  Empire.  Here, 
again,  the  railway  station  was  at  a little  distance  from 
the  town,  and  we  found  chairs  waiting  to  convey  us 
thither.  The  town  has  an  imposing  position  on  the 
hill,  with  a stream  flowing  round  the  greater  part  of 
it  ; consequently  the  walls  look  an  astonishing  height 
from  the  outer  side,  at  least  twice  as  high  as  from 
within,  and  the  main  entrance  is  across  a bridge. 

Within  the  gloomy  north  gate  hangs  a group  of 
cages  containing  magistrates’  boots,  but  it  is  probable 
that  they  were  originally  used  to  hold  something  very 
different,  namely,  criminals’  heads.  In  L,es  derniers 
yours  de  Pekin ^ Pierre  Loti  describes  those  he  saw 
just  after  the  siege,  all  with  the  queue  hanging  down 
between  the  bars. 

There  are  many  fields  within  the  city,  and  if  time 
had  allowed  I should  willingly  have  stayed  several 
weeks  sketching  there.  The  ruins  of  the  palace  be- 
longing to  the  Ming  dynasty  are  fast  falling  to  decay, 
and  as,  unfortunately,  the  Government  does  not  take 
any  interest  in  the  preservation  of  national  relics,^  it 
is  not  unlikely  that  they  may  entirely  disappear  one 
of  these  days. 

Both  here  and  at  Weihsien  we  were  struck  with 
what  we  heard  of  the  village  girls’  mission  schools, 
showing  the  stability  of  charadfer  and  also  the  capacity 
of  Chinese  girls.  When  a village  wishes  to  establish 
a school,  its  inhabitants  ask  some  mission  to  supply  a 

‘ A society  has  been  formed  in  China  this  year  (1908)  for  the  purpose  of 
preserving  ancient  monuments,  as  they  are  suffering  not  only  at  the  hands 
of  travellers,  but  of  native  officials. 


ch.  ii  Shantung 

teacher,  and  they  make  themselves  responsible  for  the 
rest.  The  girl  teacher  is  probably  lodged  in  the  home 
of  the  village  elder,  and  he  makes  arrangements  for 
the  schoolroom,  ^^c.,  and  adts  as  guardian  to  the 
teacher.  She  organizes  work,  and  has  entire  control 
as  long  as  she  manages  it  properly.  About  twice  a 
year  a missionary  goes  to  inspect  it  and  examine  the 
scholars.  We  felt  it  would  be  interesting  to  see  one 
of  these  schools,  so  our  hostess  offered  to  arrange  the 
matter,  and  took  us  one  day  to  the  village  of  Wang 
Mu  Chiang  Chwang,  some  ten  miles  distant,  which 
she  was  intending  to  visit  for  the  purpose  of  inspedtion. 


19 


CHAPTER  III 


A Day  in  the  Country  (Shantung) 

Days  in  early  October  are  perfed:  for  visiting 
the  country.  The  thermometer  stands  at 
70°  to  80°.  We  set  out  one  clear,  fresh 
morning  at  about  eight  o’clock.  I went  in  a sedan- 
chair,  and  the  two  others  in  a wheelbarrow — not  such 
an  uncomfortable  conveyance  as  might  be  supposed, 
except  when  the  roads  are  very  rough.  The  occu- 
pants recline  on  each  side  of  the  wheel,  and  parallel 
to  it,  in  a padded  seat  with  back  rests  and  cushions, 
their  feet  extended  full  length  in  front  ; the  barrow 
is  wheeled  from  behind,  and  has  a man  harnessed  like 
a beast  in  front.  As  this  was  a heavy  barrow  there 
were  two  additional  men  pulling,  one  on  each  side  of 
it.  The  sedan-chair  travelled  quicker  than  the  barrow, 
and  had  the  advantage  of  taking  short  cuts  across  the 
fields.  It  was  carried  by  four  men,  two  in  front  and 
two  behind  ; the  front  ones  carried  by  means  of  a 
pole,  to  which  the  shafts  were  suspended — which  ran 
parallel  to  them — while  the  carriers  at  the  back  were 
in  the  shafts  themselves.  When  the  men  wished  to 
shift  the  weight  from  one  shoulder  to  the  other,  they 
supported  the  pole  by  means  of  an  upright  one  which 
they  carry  for  the  purpose.  Owing  to  these  arrange- 

20 


ch.  iii  A Day  in  the  Country 

merits  the  chair  can  be  equally  well  carried  by  three 
men  as  by  four,  two  in  front  and  one  behind,  in  which 
case  the  back  carrier  is  much  farther  from  the  chair 
than  the  front  men. 

I was  soon  well  ahead,  and  did  not  witness  the 
catastrophe  that  happened  to  the  barrow  shortly  after 
starting.  Going  round  a corner  rather  too  fast,  the 
barrow  was  upset,  and  one  of  my  friends  was  tipped  out 
into  the  dust;  but  the  other,  on  the  upper  side,  managed 
to  hold  on.  Happily,  no  damage  was  done,  as  the  fall 
was  into  a soft,  clean  heap  of  dust.  But  it  was  not  so 
pleasant  a matter  for  another  friend  to  whom  this 
happened  when  she  was  travelling  the  same  road  earlier 
in  the  year.  She  was  tipped  over  into  a sea  of  mud, 
and  as  she  happened  to  be  carrying  a basket  full  of 
eggs,  she  suddenly  found  herself  in  a “ Yellow  Sea.” 

Leaving  the  city  behind  us,  we  passed  through  open 
country  where  every  one  was  still  busy  harvesting 
in  the  fields.  Some  fields  were  already  ploughed,  in 
others  green  wheat  stood  a few  inches  high  ; it  would 
not  be  much  higher  before  the  snow  came  to  cover 
it  for  winter.  Much  of  the  foliage  looked  more  like 
spring  green  than  autumn,  and  many  of  the  villages 
lay  embowered  in  trees — willows,  aspens,  crypto- 
merias,  the  last-named  always  belonging  to  temples  or 
adjoining  graves.  The  threshing-floors  were  filled 
with  golden  grain  being  prepared  for  winter  storage. 
Bean  pods  were  being  broken  up  by  means  of  stone 
rollers,  worked  by  donkeys,  blindfolded  with  neat 
straw  goggles.  On  one  occasion  I saw  a donkey 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  iii 

wearing  a pair  of  ornate  blinkers,  bright  blue  cotton 
with  protuberant  black  eyes  surrounded  by  a white 
line.  The  Chinese  love  to  decorate  the  things  in 
common  use,  and  it  is  a perpetual  joy  to  see  the  skill 
and  ingenuity  expended  on  simple  objedls.  After  the 
bean  pods  have  been  crushed  the  different  parts  of  the 
plant  are  raked  into  separate  heaps  on  the  threshing 
floor — bean,  husk,  stalk,  and  chaff — for  every  particle 
is  used  in  one  way  or  other.  If  one  were  asked  to 
state  what  was  the  most  striking  feature  of  this  great 
empire,  I almost  think  it  would  be  this  : the  care- 
fulness which  prevents  waste,  the  ingenuity  which 
finds  a use  for  everything.  Even  the  green  weed 
covering  the  ponds  is  used  as  fodder  for  pigs.  When 
the  fields  look  quite  empty  after  harvest,  the  women 
and  girls  gather  together  the  few  remaining  straws. 
Every  inch  of  ground  is  cultivated,  except  the  endless 
mounds,  the  graves  of  countless  generations. 

The  country  was  a scene  of  delightfully  cheerful 
energy,  whole  families  working  together  ; a tiny  child 
lying  naked,  basking  in  the  sun,  the  women  (despite 
their  bound  feet)  as  busy  as  the  men,  Barrows  passed 
along,  groaning  under  loads  so  heavy  that  it  needed  a 
friend  to  drag  in  front,  while  at  the  end  of  some  five 
yards  of  traces  a donkey  trotted  along,  waiting  to  give 
its  assistance  till  it  was  more  urgently  needed,  as,  for 
instance,  going  uphill  or  over  difficult  ground.  The 
reins  were  attached  to  each  side  of  the  barrow,  and 
could  only  be  manipulated  by  a dexterous  twist  of  the 
wrists.  Occasionally  a man  rode  by  on  a pony,  whose 


ch.  iii  A Day  in  the  Country 

coming  was  heralded  by  a tinkling  of  bells.  As  the 
country  is  covered  with  crops,  not  many  cattle  are  to 
be  seen,  and  any  there  may  be  are  mainly  fed  on  bean 
cakes.  We  were  swiftly  borne  through  village  after 
village,  and  my  men  only  set  me  down  for  one  ten 
minutes’  rest  during  the  ten  miles,  which  we  covered 
in  two  hours  and  forty  minutes. 

As  we  entered  Wang  Chia  Chuang  (Wang  = family 
village),  the  whole  community,  headed  by  the  Wang 
family,  turned  out  to  meet  us,  having  been  warned  the 
day  previous  of  our  intended  arrival,  and  we  were 
ceremoniously  led  to  the  Guest  Chamber.  On  the 
outside  of  the  entrance  to  the  house  little  strips  of  red 
or  orange  paper  were  pasted  up,  and  in  the  inner  court- 
yards as  well.  On  these  papers  are  sayings  from  the 
writings  of  Confucius,  or  other  mottoes,  such  as  the 
following  : 

When  you  sit  quietly,  think  of  your  own  fault ; 

When  you  chat  together,  mention  not  another  man’s. 

In  teaching  children,  good  must  be  taught ; 

To  win  a reputation,  study  may  be  required. 

Diligence  and  frugality  are  the  principal  thing  in  maintaining 
a house ; 

Humility  and  mildness  are  the  boat  for  crossing  this  world. 

Honesty  keeps  the  family  great ; 

Classics  make  the  generation  long. 

These  couplets  are  renewed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year,  and  the  village  schoolmaster  has  a busy  time 
writing  them. 


23 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  iii 

Tea  was  brought  in,  and  not  only  the  family  and 
schoolgirls,  but  also  the  neighbours  came  to  see  us, 
pouring  out  a flood  of  talk,  of  which  we  understood 
nothing.  Then  we  went  into  the  schoolroom  across 
the  courtyard,  and  found  it  and  the  girls  as  clean  as 
soap  and  water  could  make  them.  The  certificated 
teacher  was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  and  in  this  case 
happened  to  be  Mr.  Wang’s  daughter.  Her  room 
opened  out  of  the  schoolroom,  and  was  a pattern  of 
neatness — it  was  ornamented  with  photos.  Her  salary 
is  ^3  per  annum.  The  curriculum  of  these  village 
schools  consists  of  the  three  R’s,  singing,  drill,  and 
sewing,  and  it  is  wonderful  to  see  the  difference  in 
the  appearance  of  the  girls  after  they  have  been  a 
short  time  under  training,  the  awakened  intelligence 
showing  to  a marked  degree.  The  more  promising 
students  get  drafted  on  to  the  boarding-schools  for 
further  training,  with  a view  to  their  becoming 
teachers.  The  largest  of  these  schools  only  contain 
thirty  scholars,  but  they  have  two  teachers  for  that 
number  of  scholars.  An  official  who  happened  to  visit 
one  of  these  schools  was  filled  with  astonishment  at  the 
behaviour  of  the  girls  ; as  soon  as  he  entered  they  all 
stood  up,  and  answered  the  questions  he  put  to  them 
with  modesty  and  clearness.  He  said  how  different 
this  was  from  the  behaviour  in  the  national  schools 
for  boys,  and  sent  a large  sum  of  money  (comparatively 
speaking)  to  be  divided  among  the  scholars,  as  a mark 
of  his  appreciation.  In  the  large  towns  Government 
schools  for  girls  are  being  started,  but  in  the  country 

24 


A VILLAGE  SCHOOL 


ch.  iii  A Day  in  the  Country 

there  are  only  mission  ones.  Dating  from  the  new 
year  (1909)  school  attendance  is  compulsory  for  boys 
throughout  the  Empire,  therefore  the  Government  is 
responsible  for  the  establishment  of  the  requisite 
number  of  schools — at  least  one  in  every  village.  At 
first  there  was  a difficulty  in  starting  village  girls’ 
schools  ; now  they  are  in  great  demand,  and  sufficient 
teachers  cannot  be  obtained. 

After  we  had  heard  the  children  sing  and  had  in- 
spected their  writing  and  sewing,  ©*c.,  we  watched 
Mr.  Wang  doling  out  medicine  in  a patriarchal  way 
in  the  courtyard.  Several  people  had  taken  the  oppor- 
tunity of  our  visit  for  killing  two  birds  with  one  stone, 
namely,  seeing  foreigners  and  obtaining  medicine. 
One  of  them  showed  us  her  unbound  feet  with  great 
pride, as  she  had  just  achieved  the  process  of  unbinding, 
and  she  presented  us  with  her  old  shoe,  much  worn, 
but  beautifully  embroidered,  in  which  she  used  to  work 
in  the  fields.  The  Chinese  naturally  have  remarkably 
small  feet,  and  in  this  village  most  of  them  are  unbound, 
as  the  majority  are  Christians,  but  the  feet  are  so  tiny 
that  in  many  cases  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  they 
are  not  bound.  The  women  wear  white  linen  socks, 
and  their  wide  trousers  are  neatly  fastened  over  them 
with  different  coloured  braids.  Village  life  here  looks 
eminently  patriarchal.  The  sons  do  most  of  the  work, 
all  living  with  their  families  under  the  same  roof. 
One  of  the  daughters-in-law  had  a beautiful  Madonna- 
like face,  as  she  sat  nursing  her  baby,  with  other 
youngsters  crowding  round  her  knees.  No  one  could 

25 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  iii 

have  failed  to  admire  the  saintly  expression  and  grace- 
ful pose.  The  tw^o  married  daughters  of  the  house 
were  living  in  a neighbouring  camp  with  their  hus- 
bands, who  are  Manchu  officers.  All  the  prefectural 
towns  have  Manchu  garrisons,  but  it  would  not  be 
possible  for  a foreigner  to  tell  the  difference  between 
Manchu  and  Chinese  soldiers. 

Our  visit  came  to  rather  an  abrupt  close,  as  we  were 
warned  that  we  must  reach  the  city  before  sundown 
or  the  gates  would  be  closed.  Mr.  Wang  brought  in 
preserved  pears  and  tomatoes  strewn  with  sugar,  which 
are  esteemed  a great  delicacy,  and  then  we  started  on 
our  homeward  way.  Work  in  the  fields  was  ended 
for  the  day,  but  for  many  of  the  Chinese  work  is  never 
ended.  Until  all  the  grain  is  housed,  watch  must 
be  kept  by  day  and  night.  Small  huts  are  eredled  in 
the  fields  for  this  purpose,  sometimes  perched  on  tall 
poles,  from  which  a wide  outlook  can  be  kept  over 
the  country,  or  on  the  threshing-floors  adjoining  the 
farms. 


26 


CHAPTER  IV 

Shantung  Silk 

The  next  morning  we  pursued  our  railway 
journey  as  far  as  Chowtsun,  but  we  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  tickets.  Before  leaving 
Shanghai  we  inquired  at  the  bank  what  sort  of  money 
we  should  take  for  Shantung,  and  were  told  that  notes 
would  go  everywhere,  so  wt  accepted  what  the  bank 
gave  us.  On  the  railway  they  demurred  at  every 
place  where  we  offered  notes,  and  at  Chowtsun  they 
absolutely  refused  to  take  them.  In  vain  I expostu- 
lated in  German.  The  Chinaman  pretended  not  to 
understand.  Nothing  would  induce  him  to  say  a 
word  or  give  us  tickets,  but  he  said  in  Chinese  that 
he  must  have  Mexican  dollars.  Finally,  we  left  the 
office,  and  when  the  train  arrived  we  had  our  luggage 
put  in,  and  got  in  ourselves.  The  man  came  out  of 
his  office,  and  looked  surprised.  He  then  poured 
forth  a flood  of  German.  I told  him  that  he  would 
be  reported  for  incivility  at  the  station  to  which  we 
were  going,  and  where  we  would  pay  for  our  tickets. 
He  had  evidently  imagined  we  should  be  intimidated 
and  should  produce  the  dollars.  Chowtsun  is  a charm- 
ing place,  and  we  found  plenty  of  the  now  fashionable 

27 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  iv 

Shantung  silk  to  be  bought  there,  but  much  finer  in 
quality  than  one  sees  in  London  shops.  We  were 
taken  to  look  at  it  in  an  inner  room,  and  provided 
with  tea.  The  merchant  said  that  the  Shantung  silk 
blouse  which  I was  wearing  was  very  poor  quality, 
and  he  showed  us  some  lovely  stuffs,  all  hand-woven. 
On  the  counter  were  lying  Manchester  cotton  goods, 
which  are  imported  all  over  the  Empire.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  learn  that  Shantung  has  been  noted  for  its 
silks  since  2640  b.c.  In  the  Chinese  classics  of  that 
date  silk  is  referred  to  as  being  made  in  the  south-west 
of  the  province,  where  the  mulberries  grow  well.^ 
At  the  present  time  the  silkworms  are  fed  on  dwarf 
oak  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  province,  and  pongee  is 
made  from  their  silk  ; but  all  the  finer  silks  come  from 
the  west.  From  the  time  of  Yu  (who  flourished 
B.c.  2640)  there  is  continual  reference  made  in  the 
classics  to  sericulture.  A later  writer  says  that 
in  his  time  it  was  forbidden  to  rear  more  than  one 
breed  of  silkworms  in  a season,  because  astrologers 
had  discovered  that  horses  and  silkworms  belonged  to 
the  same  constellation,  and  therefore  must  be  of  the 
same  origin.  Later  on,  in  a classical  book  of  the  Han 
dynasty  (b.c.  204),  the  ceremonies  connected  with  it 
are  described,  and  how  the  Empress  herself  took  part 
in  it,  none  of  her  ladies  being  allowed  to  wear  jewelry 
when  picking  mulberry  leaves  to  feed  the  young 
insedts,  and  “ none  dare  indulge  in  indolence  ” ; “ lewd 

• The  first  Chinese  settlers  are  said  to  have  come  from  the  shores  of  the 
Caspian  Sea,  bringing  with  them  the  silkworm  and  the  mulberry. 

28 


ch.  iv  S bantling  Silk 

conversation  ” was  said  to  disturb  the  worms.  From 
this  time  onwards  it  appears  that  successive  empresses 
had  to  take  a ceremonial  part  in  the  rearing  of  silk- 
worms. Silk  was  the  most  interesting  product  of 
the  province  to  us,  but  the  main  interest  of  the 
country  to  others  lies  in  its  mineral  worth.  The 
Germans  have  got  mining  rights,  and  have  carried 
a branch  line  of  the  railway  down  to  the  coalfields 
at  Poshan. 

From  Chowtsun  we  went  on  a barrow,  through 
interesting  country,  to  the  town  of  Tsowping  to  visit 
a friend,  and  as  the  roads  were  good  we  quite  en- 
joyed our  four  hours’  ride.  Specially  careful  barrow- 
men  had  been  selected,  so  that  we  might  run  no  risk, 
and  certainly  this  was  desirable,  as  the  path  often  lay 
along  the  edge  of  steep  banks.  We  found  a good 
mission  hospital  up  there,  where  we  heard  astonish- 
ing stories  of  the  recuperative  powers  of  the  Chinese. 
The  Scotch  dodtor  said  that  when  he  told  them  to 
his  friends  at  home,  one  would  remark,  “ I am  not 
a bad  liar  myself,  but  I would  not  dare  to  go  so 
far  as  that.”  My  own  experience  at  a hospital  in 
China  makes  me  think  that  it  is  impossible  to  beat 
the  reality,  no  matter  how  exaggerated  the  story 
sounds  ! 

Frum  Tsowping  we  returned  by  barrow  to  Chow- 
tsun, and  thence  by  rail  to  Tsinan,  which  boasts  three 
railway  stations. 

The  accompanying  illustration  gives  an  idea  of  what 
is  worn  by  officials.  The  self-complacent  pose  of 

29 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  iv 

a Chinese  official’s  feet  is  eminently  charadleristic. 
Much  has  been  written  about  charafter  as  seen  in 
the  human  hand,  but  I think  a charafter  study  of 
feet  might  still  be  written,  even  when  the  feet  are 
disguised  by  boots  or  shoes. 


30 


OFFICIAL  (COURT  DRESS) 


CHAPTER  V 

Tsinan 

The  capital  of  Shantung  is  a large  city,  con- 
taining a population  of  about  150,000  in- 
habitants. Tsinan  is  a city  of  real  beauty, 
owing  to  the  facft  that  there  are  bubbling  streams  in 
all  parts  of  it,  so  that  the  trees  grow  well.  The 
water  is  singularly  bright  and  sparkling,  and  looks 
attractive  even  in  the  dirtiest  gutters.  As  it  comes 
bubbling  up  in  every  direction  there  is  a radiance 
about  it  which  seems  untarnishable.  In  the  very 
centre  of  the  town  is  a temple,  standing  on  a terrace 
with  fine  carved  balustrades  round  it,  in  front  of 
which  is  a large  pond  full  of  this  bubbling  water, 
overhung  by  willows — a typical  Chinese  picture. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  pond  is  a busy  market, 
whence  crowds  soon  colledled  round  us  to  watch  our 
sketching  and  photographing.  They  were  quiet  and 
polite,  and  it  was  quite  unnecessary  for  the  police- 
man to  come  and  keep  them  at  a distance.  But  then 
that  manoeuvre  gave  him  the  advantage  of  an  ex- 
cellent view  for  himself!  Everywhere  we  found  a 
Chinese  crowd  of  spectators  preferable  to  one  com- 
posed of  Europeans.  The  market  interested  us 

31 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

greatly,  having  every  kind  of  ware  for  sale,  from 
rags  and  silk  scraps,  out  of  which  elegant  shoes  are 
made,  to  all  sorts  of  weird  medicines,  of  which  the 
emblem  was  a life-sized,  double-headed  fowl,  planted 
in  the  centre  of  the  counter.  Hard  by  the  medicine 
stalls  was  an  enclosed  space,  where  a woman  was 
telling  a story  to  an  interested  crowd.  The  profes- 
sional story-teller  is  quite  an  institution  here,  as  else- 
where in  the  East,  but  it  is  rarely  that  a woman 
is  seen  in  that  capacity.  In  fadt,  women  take  but 
small  part  in  the  business  life  of  the  country,  and 
men  do  all  the  selling  in  shops. 

Not  far  from  the  market,  but  situated  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town,  is  the  University,  a recent  institu- 
tion (1902),  and  built  mainly  in  European  style  ; the 
professors’  houses  being  of  two  stories  and  entirely 
un-Chinese.  The  entrance,  however,  is  the  usual 
native  one  with  carved  and  painted  woodwork  decora- 
tions ; facing  it,  and  crossing  a little  bridge  over  an 
empty  tank,  was  the  guest-room,  supposed  to  be  purely 
Chinese,  but  full  of  European  lapses,  in  the  shape  of 
lace  curtains,  wall-papers,  European  carpet,  chairs, 
clock,  eledfric  bells,  and,  most  striking  of  all,  a centre 
candelabra  for  the  eledtric  light.  There  are  ledfure- 
rooms,  libraries,  museum, laboratory, and  dining-rooms, 
and  thirty-two  baths  with  hot  and  cold  water  laid  on  ; 
these  are  so  popular  that  their  use  has  had  to  be 
limited.  Amongst  the  institutions  may  be  named  a 
fife  and  drum  band,  and  the  latest  novelty  is  a brass 
band.  The  University  is  only  open  to  the  students  of 

32 


ch.  V Tsinan 

the  province  of  Shantung,  and  naturally  the  standard 
of  Western  knowledge  is  still  low  ; but  there  are  pro- 
fessors of  English,  German,  French,  and  Japanese, 
though  the  respective  numbers  of  their  classes  are 
seven,  five,  five,  two.  At  present  Japanese  is  not  so 
popular  as  it  used  to  be.  Indeed,  in  the  Imperial 
College  in  Kaifeng  the  Educational  Board  has  just'cut 
out^Japanese  : whether  this  is  an  exceptional  case  I 
cannot  say. 

The  English  seCtion  includes  a study  of  Euro- 
pean history  (Freeman’s)  and  political  economy,  but 
other  subjects,  such  as  geography,  are  popular  among 
students,  to  judge  by  their  use  of  the  small  English 
library.  Curiously  enough,  the  most  popular  book 
both  here  and  elsewhere  is  “ Little  Lord  Fauntleroy.” 
Half  the  leCtures  are  devoted  to  Western  knowledge 
and  half  to  the  Chinese  classics,  and  the  course  of 
study  at  present  covers  three  years. 

In  connection  with  the  scheme  of  education,  and 
under  the  same  jurisdiction,  are  normal  schools,  secon- 
dary and  primary  schools.  One  of  the  principal  ones 
has  an  English  headmaster,  so  that  there  will  soon 
be  a set  of  students  prepared  to  profit  much  better  by 
university  training,  and  fitted  to  go  to  some  European 
university  later.  There  are  no  fewer  than  fifteen 
schools  and  colleges,  with  about  two  thousand  five 
hundred  students.  Another  interesting  feature  of  the 
education  question  is  the  opening  of  a girls’  school  for 
the  daughters  and  wives  of  the  officials.  It  was  built 
three  years  ago  by  two  Chinese  gentlemen,  and  they 

33  c 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

have  an  English  teacher  there.  The  school  was  for- 
mally opened  by  the  Literary  Chancellor,  and  on 
entering  he  saluted  the  girls  deferentially,  and  gave 
them  an  admirable  address.  In  the  south  of  China 
many  ladies  learn  reading  in  private,  but  in  the  north 
this  is  extremely  rare,  and  so  lately  as  1902  there  was 
not  a single  girls’  school  in  the  Empire,  except  the 
mission  schools  ; now  they  are  cropping  up  in  all 
directions,  and  the  Government  is  taking  an  active 
interest  in  all  their  concerns.  Possibly  it  may  be 
thought  that  it  shows  this  in  somewhat  exaggerated 
fashion,  for  a recent  order  has  been  issued  from  the 
Education  Department  in  Peking  prohibiting  the 
wearing  of  a long  fringe  of  hair,  or  “ bang  ” as  our 
American  friends  call  it,  in  any  of  the  girls’  schools 
throughout  the  Empire.  This  fashion  had  become 
rather  general  last  year.  It  would  have  been  of  much 
more  practical  value  if  all  scholars  had  been  forbidden 
to  paint,  as  this  is  one  of  the  most  time-wasting  pro- 
cesses. At  Tsinan  the  school  hours  have  been  obliged 
to  be  fixed  late  because  the  scholars  require  some  hours 
for  the  morning  toilette.  In  the  girls’  schools  they 
are  now  very  anxious  to  learn  English,  music,  and 
drawing  ; “ accomplishments  ” are  more  valued  than 
serious  study.  It  is  quite  evident  that  there  is  no  lack 
of  ability  to  learn,  though  the  girls  are  called  “wooden- 
heads”  sometimes  in  contempt.  In  the  American 
Board  School  at  Peking  the  girls  gave  an  admirable 
rendering  of  Wagner’s  and  Mendelssohn’s  music  in 
part-singing.  The  piano  is  also  very  popular  among  the 

34 


ch.  V ‘Tsinan 

girls.  Like  the  boys,  they  have  astonishing  memories, 
and  think  nothing  of  reciting  a whole  Gospel  ; it  is 
even  not  ranked  as  a feat  by  the  Chinese  to  know  the 
whole  of  the  Bible  by  heart. 

Tsinan  is  a most  progressive  town  : it  has  a British 
postmaster,  who  has  organised,  not  to  say  revolution- 
ised, the  postal  system  of  the  province.  Letters  now 
go  to  Peking  in  four  days,  and  to  Tientsin  in  three  and 
a half  days  ; the  runners  carrying  them  reckoning  to 
do  fifty  or  sixty  miles  at  a stretch,  with  an  average 
speed  of  three  and  a half  miles  per  hour.  They  receive 
about  five  shillings  a week  as  wages.  Sir  Robert  Hart 
is  responsible  for  the  seleftion  of  postmasters,  and 
even  in  a remote  place  we  found  a very  nice  one 
who  could  speak  a little  English.  Sir  Robert  Hart 
was  appointed  head  of  the  Customs  Department  in 
1862,  and  the  Customs  and  Post-Office  form  part  of 
one  system. 

One  of  the  prettiest  places  at  Tsinan  is  the  lake,  the 
main  pleasure  resort  of  the  Chinese.  After  threading 
our  way  in  chairs  through  incredibly  dirty  and  nar- 
row lanes,  filled  wdth  a jostling  crowd  and  traffic,  often 
brought  to  a standstill  by  a hopeless-looking  impasse 
of  rickshas,  barrows,  beasts,  and  chairs,  we  came  to 
a gateway,  and  stepped  thereout  straight  on  to  the 
edge  of  the  lake,  where  boats,  with  graceful  latticed- 
work  windows,  and  a broad  couch  to  lie  on  in  the 
front,  awaited  passengers.  Tea  was  ready  on  the 
table,  and  we  set  off  along  one  of  the  water  highways 
through  the  tall  reeds  and  beds  of  lotus.  Gorgeous 

35 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

kingfishers  darted  to  and  fro  like  a flash  of  light  ; tiny 
wild-ducks  bobbed  up  out  of  the  water,  and  then 
scuttled  into  the  reeds,  as  we  slowly  made  our  way  to  the 
various  points  of  interest.  The  lake  has  been  chosen 
as  a place  for  putting  up  memorial  monuments  to 
distinguished  people,  and  they  are  certainly  a singular 
contrast  to  ours.  They  stand  like  temples  on  little 
islands,  and  to  the  uninitiated  appear  to  be  such,  with 
their  tablets  of  incense  and  altars.  For  instance,  there 
is  a fairly  recent  one  eredted  in  memory  of  a former 
Governor  of  Shantung.  Above  the  altar,  and  almost 
hidden  by  the  inscribed  tablet,  is  a life-size  seated 
figure  of  the  Governor.  The  head  is  a photograph, 
and  the  rest  is  a painting,  but  in  the  dim  light  it  re- 
quired close  inspedtion  to  ascertain  this  fact.  Incense 
is  offered  before  it  by  any  one,  and  not  only  by  the 
members  of  his  family,  as  in  ancestral  worship.  Op- 
posite this  building,  and  as  part  of  the  memorial,  is  an 
ornate  theatre,  where  plays  are  adled  on  public  occa- 
sions. Another  recent  memorial  has  been  put  up  to 
Li  Hung  Chang,  and  it  is  extremely  strange.  It 
includes  a little  summer-house  and  a rock-garden 
(without  rock-plants),  a theatre,  a house  containing 
a tablet,  altar,  (£?c.,  and  a guest-house  where  distin- 
guished visitors  can  be  lodged.  This  last  building 
is  two-storied,  and  quite  European  in  style,  perched 
on  an  elevation  with  a well-built  wall  below  it,  sur- 
mounted by  barbed  wire.  Another  little  group  of 
buildings  had  corrugated  iron  walls  ; on  another  was  a 
Taoist  temple,  where  we  found  a travelling  showman 

36 


ch.  V Tsinan 

who  was  exhibiting  a popular  cinematograph  in  the 
neighbourhood.  The  Chinese  frequent  the  lake  for 
pleasure  parties,  and  a good  deal  of  drinking  goes  on, 
not  of  tea  only.  A visit  by  moonlight  is  as  enchant- 
ing as  anything  that  could  be  imagined.  On  one  of 
the  islands  we  noticed  the  most  fascinating  of  all  the 
fascinating  birdcages  we  had  yet  seen.  It  was  the 
usual  round  shape  made  in  bamboo,  but  the  centre 
of  the  roof  inside  was  a well-executed  portrait  of  the 
handsome,  black  talking  bird  which  inhabited  it.  The 
seed-  and  water-pots  were  of  different  colours  and 
shapes,  and  fastened  in  with  tiny  figures  of  men  carved 
into  wooden  buttons.  I have  never  been  in  any 
country  where  there  were  so  many  caged  birds,  and 
where  they  were  so  well  looked  after.  Every  cage 
has  its  well-made  night-cover,  and  often  this  is  fastened 
down  the  side  with  neat  little  buttons.  We  continu- 
ally saw  men  carrying  cages  along  the  streets,  taking 
their  birds  for  walks,  as  we  do  dogs.  At  one  place 
we  saw  a man  take  the  cage  to  a stream,  and  after  he 
had  cleaned  it  out  with  a sort  of  tooth-brush,  he  left 
it  in  the  stream  for  the  bird  to  have  its  bath,  after 
which  he  hung  it  up  to  dry,  and  whistled  to  the  bird. 
The  fashion  of  carrying  birds  about  is  said  to  be  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  that  the  owner  is  a man  of 
leisure  ; as  this  is  now  creating  a good  deal  of  ridicule, 
the  custom  is  likely  to  go  out  of  fashion. 

One  of  the  interesting  sights  of  Tsinan,  which  is 
quite  up  to  date,  is  a large  camp,  lighted  by  eleftricity, 
about  two  miles  outside  the  city.  It  is  built  like  rows 

37 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

of  little  cottages  ; the  men  are  well  drilled,  and  have 
to  attend  ledlures.  We  found  them,  when  they  adted 
as  our  military  escort  through  the  province,  very  civil, 
and  in  every  way  pleasant  and  obliging  men.  A party 
of  them  was  brought  by  an  officer  to  visit  the  mission 
museum,  and  the  men  were  much  interested  in  having 
the  various  kinds  of  natural  history  and  geological 
specimens,  models  of  architedlure,  eledtrical  machines, 
steam-engines,  ©“c.,  explained  to  them.  Visitors  are 
surprised  to  see  a model  of  an  English  cemetery,  but 
it  throws  a new  light  on  English  character  when  the 
Chinese  receive  an  explanation  of  our  views  with 
regard  to  the  dead,  and  the  care  lavished  on  their  last 
earthly  dwelling-place.  Models  are  of  great  value 
when  wisely  used  for  dispelling  misconceptions,  but 
we  are  often  prevented  by  our  insular  pride  from 
taking  the  trouble  to  disabuse  foreigners  of  false  im- 
pressions they  may  have  conceived  of  us.  One  of 
the  most  attradtive  models  is  a dredge  worked  by 
eledtricity,  for  the  province  of  Shantung  suffers  ter- 
ribly from  the  inundations  of  the  Yellow  River, 
and  the  means  used  to  cope  with  this  difficulty  are 
wofully  inadequate. 

This  museum  was  originally  started  by  Mr.  White- 
wright,  of  the  Baptist  Mission  at  Tsingchowfu,  where 
the  prefedlural  examinations  used  to  take  place,  attradt- 
ing  to  it  10,000  or  more  students  from  all  parts  of  the 
province.  When  the  old  examination  system  was 
abolished  the  city  of  Tsingchowfu  was  no  longer  of 
importance  from  this  point  of  view,  and  it  was  de- 

38 


ch.  V Tsinan 

cided  to  move  the  Institute  to  the  capital,  Tsinan,  a 
treaty  port  whose  importance,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
rapidly  increasing.  The  Mission  obtained  an  excellent 
site,  and  put  up  a ledlure-hall  to  seat  six  hundred 
persons,  reception-rooms  for  men  and  for  women,  a 
reading-room,  and  the  museum.  The  first  block  of 
buildings  was  opened  in  1905  by  the  Governor,  and 
ever  since  then  the  place  has  attracted  an  increasing 
number  of  visitors  of  all  kinds.  In  the  second  year 
of  its  existence  there  were  187,000  admittances;  at 
the  great  annual  religious  festivals  it  is  specially 
crowded,  as  thousands  of  pilgrims  pass  through  Tsinan 
on  their  way  to  the  sacred  mountain,  Tai  Shan.  From 
8.30  A.M.  till  6 p.M.  preaching  goes  on  without  inter- 
mission, a specially  seledled  staff  of  native  preachers 
assisting  the  missionaries  in  this  work  ; for  the  Chinese 
prove  themselves  more  able  than  Europeans  to  win 
converts  to  Christianity. 

Many  of  the  students  from  the  university  and  the 
schools  frequent  the  museum  and  ledture-hall,  the 
walls  of  which  are  hung  with  charts  and  diagrams 
calculated  to  give  the  thoughtful  Chinaman  much 
food  for  refledtion.  After  studying  the  comparative 
tables  of  commerce,  population,  <Sfc.,  a visitor  is  said 
to  have  exclaimed,  “ Why  ! the  only  thing  that  China 
is  ahead  in  is  population  ! ” Ledtures  on  history, 
science,  and  religion  are  given  in  the  hall,  and  are 
largely  attended  by  university  students  on  Sunday,  as, 
in  imitation  of  our  Western  custom,  they  have  no 
classes  at  the  university  that  day. 

39 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

One  day  a week  the  museum  is  open  to  ladies  only, 
and  we  met  the  wife  of  the  retiring  Governor  of  the 
province  just  leaving  the  building  after  an  exhaustive 
examination  of  its  contents.  She  was  accompanied 
by  a considerable  retinue  on  horseback  and  in  chairs, 
not  to  mention  a motley  crowd  composed  of  the  rag- 
tag and  bobtail  of  the  town,  carrying  absurd  little 
flags. 

It  has  now  been  decided  to  attach  a medical  school 
to  the  Institute,  as  there  is  none  in  the  province,  and 
a church  is  also  to  be  built.  The  American  Presby- 
terians and  the  English  Baptists  are  combining  for 
this  medical  school.  The  former  society  has  had 
medical  work  here  for  the  last  twenty-eight  years, 
and  for  many  years  they  have  had  a hospital  and  dis- 
pensary in  the  eastern  suburb.  There  is  also  a free 
dispensary  in  the  city,  a Government  affair,  where 
the  patient  is  at  liberty  to  choose  either  Eastern  or 
Western  treatment.  The  majority  choose  the  latter, 
and  are  treated  by  a German  naval  dodtor  ; they  are 
indebted  for  his  services  to  the  German  Government, 
who  have  lent  him  for  this  purpose.  There  are 
already  classes  for  medical  students  in  connexion 
with  several  of  the  mission  hospitals  in  the  province, 
who  will  form  an  excellent  nucleus  with  which  to 
start  the  new  college.  The  importance  of  medical 
mission  work  in  China  is  great,  not  only  for  its  own 
sake,  but  also  for  the  purpose  of  familiarising  the 
Chinese  in  the  most  remote  corners  of  the  Empire 
with  the  benefits  of  Western  science  and  the  goodwill 

40 


ch.  V Tsina?! 

felt  towards  them  by  Europeans  and  Americans,  of 
which  this  is  the  pradlical  demonstration.  The  two 
continents  are  about  equally  represented,  and  there 
are  over  three  hundred  dodlors  scattered  through- 
out the  Empire:  their  fame  extends  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  neighbourhoods  where  they  happen 
to  be  residing.  They  are  training  numbers  of  intel- 
ligent young  Chinamen  to  carry  on  their  work,  but 
the  establishment  of  colleges  to  complete  the  train- 
ing of  these  students  is  now  becoming  increasingly 
necessary. 

The  work  already  achieved  by  medical  mission- 
aries in  China  is  by  no  means  small  or  unimportant. 
They  form  an  association,  by  means  of  which  the 
task  of  fixing  the  terminology  of  medical  science  has 
already  been  accomplished.  They  have  published  a 
standard  didlionary  in  Chinese,  as  well  as  the  latest 
American  and  English  text-books  on  this  subject. 
The  Chinese  medical  student,  therefore,  is  not  entirely 
dependent  on  oral  teaching,  if  he  has  no  knowledge 
of  English.  Another  branch  of  this  work  is  the 
organised  labour  of  their  research  committee.  The 
geographical  distribution  of  disease,  the  various  forms 
of  it  prevalent  in  different  districts,  and  the  methods 
of  treatment  come  under  this  heading.  Men  of  un- 
doubted ability  and  with  the  highest  medical  quali- 
fications are  engaged  in  this  work. 

The  Chinese  Government  has  recognised  the  value 
of  what  has  been  already  done  by  its  official  sandtion 
of  the  Union  College  at  Peking — the  first  attempt 

41 


1 


T‘he  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

made  in  China  to  give  a full  medical  education.^  The 
late  Dowager  Empress  contributed  to  its  initial  cost, 
and  the  Government  has  pledged  itself  to  grant  de- 
grees to  the  students  who  have  successfully  passed  its 
examinations.  There  are  about  seventy  to  a hundred 
students  in  it  at  the  present  time. 

This  is  a somewhat  long  digression,  but  I think  it 
will  not  be  without  interest  to  readers  to  have  a 
general  idea  of  the  scope  of  medical  mission  work  in 
China  at  the  present  time. 

There  is  an  arsenal  near  Tsinan,  where  an  English 
officer,  who  had  just  been  allowed  to  see  over  it,  told 
us  they  seemed  thoroughly  expert,  and  able  to  repro- 
duce anything  they  tried.  They  were  busy  making 
locks  for  a canal,  and  less  than  a hundred  miles  away 
we  passed  another  large  arsenal  where  they  were  busy 
making  ammunition.  The  smoky  chimneys  were 
quite  suggestive  of  home  ! 

The  most  interesting  feature  of  our  stay  at  the 
capital  was  an  interview  with  the  Governor  of  the 
province,  to  whom  we  had  an  introdudlion.  His 
Excellency  Lord  Wu  is  an  intelleftual-looking  man, 
but  worn  and  bowed  with  age.  He  had  granted  us  an 
audience  one  afternoon,  and  on  our  arrival  at  \\\%yamen 
( = official  residence)  we  were  led  through  a circular 
doorway  in  the  wall,  into  the  gardens,  in  which  were 
little  ponds  and  bridges,  and  an  arbour  made  in  the 
shape  of  a boat.  We  waited  the  Governor’s  coming 

* Five  missionary  societies  have  combined  to  provide  a good  teaching 
staff.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  several  other  such  union  colleges  may  be 
established  in  different  parts  of  the  Empire. 

42 


ch.  V Tsman 

in  a summer-house,  a'^ terrible" European  eredtion,  fur- 
nished with  a crimson  and  “ Reckitt’s  blue  ” plush  sofa 
and  revolving  chairs  to  match.  On  the  table  were 
glasses  and  plates,  with  proverbs  inscribed  round  them, 
and  cups  of  the  type  seen  at  a Sunday-school  caterer’s. 
Cake,  champagne,  and  tea  were  set  out  on  a parti- 
coloured table-cloth,  which  was  ornamented  with  a 
florid  design  in  chain-stitch  composed  of  every  colour 
of  the  rainbow.  His  Excellency  soon  made  his 
appearance,  accompanied  by  an  exquisite-looking 
interpreter  who  spoke  English  well — better  than  he 
understood  it,  I fancy.  For  nearly  an  hour  he  plied 
us  with  all  sorts  of  questions  as  to  my  education 
(he  had  been  much  exercised  by  F.R.S.G.S.  on  my 
Chinese  visiting-card),  occupation,  our  past  and  future 
travels.  He  not  only  gave  us  good  advice  with  regard 
to  our  journey,  but  pradlical  assistance — as  we  after- 
wards discovered — by  sending  word  to  the  magistrates 
on  our  route  through  the  province.  An  interested 
but  somewhat  ragged  audience  watched  us  from  the 
doorway,  and  the  Governor’s  personal  attendant  played 
with  his  queue,  but  somehow  nothing  could  disturb 
the  dignified  impression  of  the  old  man.  He  had 
known  Gordon,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Boxer  troubles 
he  had  sent  the  missionaries  safely  out  of  the  province, 
in  dired:  opposition  to  the  orders  he  had  received  from 
his  Government.  He  is  a strong,  good  man,  and  I 
much  regretted  that  our  conversation  had  to  be  carried 
on  through  an  interpreter,  for  that  process  is  paralys- 
ing to  thought,  not  to  mention  that  one  had  grave 

43 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  v 

doubts  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the  interpretation.  The 
interview  lasted  about  an  hour,  and  was  terminated  by 
His  Excellency  inviting  us  to  drink  champagne  or  tea, 
after  which  he  escorted  us  back  through  the  garden 
to  our  chairs. 


44 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Sacred  Shrine  of  Tai  Shan 

SHANTUNG  is  the  most  interesting  (historic- 
ally) of  all  the  provinces  in  the  Empire,  and 
we  determined  to  visit  two  particularly  sacred 
spots  which  were  not  far  from  the  capital — Tai  Shan 
(one  of  the  four  sacred  mountains  of  China)  and 
Kiifow,  the  home  of  Confucius. 

We  started  on  a beautiful  autumn  morning,  with 
quite  an  imposing  cortege.  First  came  our  mounted 
military  escort,  then  ourselves  in  two  light  mountain 
chairs,  each  carried  by  two  men  and  with  two  to  relieve 
them.  Next  came  the  cart,  with  our  interpreter  (a 
minute  person  clad  in  khaki,  boasting  the  name  of 
Fergus  Summer — though  a Chinaman),  the  cook, 
some  baggage,  and  the  men’s  bedding.  Finally  a mule 
brought  up  the  rear,  carrying  our  baggage,  some  one’s 
bedding,  and  our  other  servant  perched  cross-legged 
on  the  top.  It  was  a delightfully  exhilarating  day, 
and  not  less  so  the  thought  that  we  were  really  begin- 
ning our  adventures  off  the  beaten  track,  and  had  said 
good-bye  to  the  railway  for  at  least  three  weeks,  to  try 
far  pleasanter,  if  slower,  means  of  transit.  The  chairs 
were  light  frames  with  a hanging  foot-rest,  quite  com- 

45 


The  Face  of  Chma  ch.  vi 

fortable  when  padded  with  our  bedding,  and  with  an 
awning  fastened  on  light  bamboo  rods  above  us.  We 
were  well  manned,  so  we  comforted  ourselves  as  to  the 
fact  of  their  carrying  us  between  twenty  and  thirty 
miles  a day  by  remembering  that  they  were  only  too 
pleased  to  get  the  job.  They  were  pleasant,  cheery 
Fellows,  with  fine  mahogany-coloured  backs,  and  did 
not  seem  the  least  bit  jaded  at  the  end  of  the  day’s 
march.  They  go  lightly  clad,  the  most  solid  part  of 
their  clothing  being  the  pig-tail  curled  round  their 
heads.  The  rest  of  their  garments  were  well  venti- 
lated, and  sometimes  seemed  in  danger  of  falling  to 
pieces  altogether.  Their  food  seemed  most  inadequate 
— a chunk  of  bread,  an  onion  (alas  for  the  passenger 
who  hates  the  smell  of  an  onion  !),  endless  cups  of  tea 
at  wayside  restaurants,  and  frequent  whiffs  of  smoke 
from  their  tiny  pipes.  They  are  wonderfully  good- 
tempered,  always  ready  for  a laugh,  and  most  attentive 
and  careful  for  one’s  comfort. 

The  first  day  passed  without  any  adventure,  but 
was  pleasantly  spent  in  charming  scenery,  and  we 
passed  a somewhat  uneasy  night  trying  to  accustom 
ourselves  to  our  new  beds  (light  camp  mattresses  with 
an  air  pillow  under  the  hips — an  excellent  arrange- 
ment) and  strange  surroundings  in  an  inn.  It  was 
an  easy  task  to  get  up  early  next  day,  and  we  started 
at  6 A.M.,  so  as  to  do  a four  hours’  stage  before  break- 
fast— fifteen  miles.  The  country  was  full  of  interest- 
ing sights  : one  hamlet  we  passed  through  seemed  to 
have  a monopoly  of  whips  ; every  shop  was  full  of 

46 


MOUNTAIN  CHAIR 


ch.  vi  Sacred  Shrine  of  "Tat  Sha?t 

them  and  of  nothing  else.  In  another  plaited  straw 
for  hats  was  the  only  article  for  sale.  Farther  on,  we 
came  to  a district  where  each  village  had  large  bunches 
of  maize  hanging  in  golden  clusters  from  the  trees, 
looking  like  fruit.  As  we  turned  a corner  into  a deep 
gully  we  came  into  a bevy  of  barrows  in  full  sail — 
like  a fleet  of  blue-sailed  boats — bearing  down  upon 
us.  They  were  the  only  ones  we  saw,  as  there  was 
not  much  wind,  but  it  was  an  unforgettable  sight. 

As  we  approached  the  city  of  Tai  An  we  were  met 
by  a fine  soldier  in  red  plush  breeches,  but  the  rest  of 
his  costume  was  not  to  match  ! He  had  come  six 
miles  from  the  city  to  aft  as  our  escort,  and  told  us  of 
a noted  Buddhist  temple  that  we  must  stop  and  visit. 
There  was  an  extraordinary  seated  gilt  Buddha,  with 
a broad  grin  on  his  face,  and  another  grave  one  stand- 
ing, but  there  was  nothing  particularly  noteworthy, 
as  far  as  we  could  see.  The  soldier  told  us  that  pre- 
parations had  been  made  for  our  entertainment  at  the 
inn,  but  we  had  arranged  to  stay  with  a hospitable 
American  lady,  who  had  lived  out  here  for  over  fifty 
years,  and  as  soon  as  we  arrived  she  sent  to  engage 
chairs  to  take  us  next  day  up  the  holy  mountain, 
Chinese  books  say  that  it  has  been  the  holy  mountain 
of  the  East  for  the  last  4000  or  5000  years  ; it  is 
certainly  one  of  the  most  frequented  to-day,  and  at  the 
usual  times  of  pilgrimage  (February  and  March)  as 
many  as  10,000  will  go  up  in  a day.  Most  of  the 
pilgrims  go  up  on  foot,  a few  on  their  knees,  and  the 
wealthy  ones  in  chairs. 


47 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vi 

We  started  betimes  in  chairs — there  is  a special 
guild  of  chair-bearers,  and  they  are'^simply  wonderful’^ 
— they  are  called  “ climb-mountain  tigers,”  and  as 
soon  as  they  saw  my  size  they  demanded  an  extra 
man.  I was  quite  willing  to  comply  with  the  de- 
mand, though  they  would  not  have  suggested  it  to 
a Chinaman  of  twice  my  bulk  ! It  was  a lovely 
morning,  worthy  even  of  such  an  expedition.  We 
were  carried  about  two  miles  across  the  fields  before 
we  came  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  from  there 
to  the  top  the  way  is  well  paved  or  made  in  flights 
of  granite  steps,  some  ten  to  twelve  feet  wide,  up  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  There  is  even  a well-built 
wall  of  cut  stone  on  either  side,  the  cost  of  this  road 
being  defrayed  (as  well  as  the  upkeep  of  the  temples) 
by  the  gifts  of  worshippers.  The  road  was  not  very 
steep  at  first,  and  was  lined  by  houses,  where  no  doubt 
a profitable  trade  is  plied  by  the  sellers  of  paper 
money,  shoes  to  be  presented  to  the  goddess  P’i-Hsia 
Yuam-Chun,  incense,  and“light  refreshments.”  There 
are  many  temples  on  the  mountain — in  fadt,  there 
seems  to  be  one  every  few  yards — but  we  had  not  time 
to  spend  in  visiting  them  ; and  we  set  our  faces  to 
walk  up  a large  part  of  the  6600  steps  which  lead  to 
the  top.  It  took  us  some  five  and  a half  hours  to 
climb  up,  and  as  we  neared  the  Gate  of  Heaven  (the 
pink  gateway  in  the  sketch)  the  steepness  grew,  the 
last  flight  being  over  1000  steps  (I  counted  them), 
most  of  which  were  so  narrow  that  not  more  than 
part  of  the  foot  could  be  accommodated  : the  steps 

48 


TAl  SHAN 


ch.  vi  Sacred  Shrine  of  Tat  Shaft 

were  much  higher  than  they  were  wide,  so  that  it 
was  more  like  a ladder  than  a staircase.  Heavy  iron 
chains  were  suspended  at  the  sides  for  the  worshippers 
to  drag  themselves  up  by,  and  a Chinese  woman  with 
us  went  up  on  all-fours.  The  way  towered  above  us 
in  contrast  to  the  “ Peaceful  Mile,”  a shady  part  of 
the  road  lower  down  ; but  it  was  very  lovely,  with  its 
scent  of  wild  thyme,  fragrant  grasses,  and  yellow 
chrysanthemums.  Earlier  in  the  year  it  is  bright 
with  violets,  forget-me-nots,  and  honeysuckle,  and 
the  cypresses  and  pine  trees  give  great  dignity  to  the 
landscape.  We  followed  the  rocky  bed  of  the  stream, 
which  becomes  a brawling  torrent  after  rain.  We 
only  halted  for  half-an-hour  on  our  way  up,  and  the 
“ tigers  ” did  their  work  well.  After  we  had  passed 
through  the  Gate  of  Heaven  we  came  on  to  a com- 
paratively flat  piece  of  tableland  with  thatched  cot- 
tages, which  might  have  been  a Scotch  moor.  On 
the  top  were  several  temples,  one  to  Confucius,  in 
which  was  a replica  of  his  big  statue  in  the  temple 
of  Kiifow  ; another  to  Yu-Huang,  the  Taoist  Em- 
peror of  the  Sky,  who  first  drained  the  Empire  ; and 
— most  sacred  of  all — a rough  block  of  granite,  said 
to  have  been  eredted  there  by  the  conqueror  Ch’in 
Shih-Nuang. 

The  great  Emperor  Shun  (b.c.  2255—2205)  is  said 
to  have  visited  Tai  Shan,  “ where  he  presented  a burnt 
offering  to  God  and  sacrificed  to  the  Mountains  and 
Rivers.”  Certainly  he  could  not  have  selected  a 
better  spot  for  the  purpose  : from  the  summit  you 

49  D 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vi 

look  down  upon  a vast  expanse  of  hilltops,  like  the 
waves  of  the  ocean,  and  the  lovely  shining  rivers 
below  wind  away  like  silver  threads  between  them. 
This  represents  the  oldest  form  of  worship  in  China, 
existing  before  the  rise  of  Taoism,  Confucianism, 
and  Buddhism.  The  earliest  sacrifices  are  said  by 
Chinese  writers  to  have  been  organised  by  Fu  Hsi, 
nearly  3000  years  b.c.  His  successor  built  a temple 
for  the  worship  of  God,  where  sacrifices  were  offered 
to  the  mountains  and  rivers.  This  was  followed  by 
the  worship  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  five  planets,  and 
there  are  traces  of  this  still  to  be  found  in  Chinese 
Buddhism,  which  has  incorporated  so  many  alien 
ideas  from  other  religions. 

The  great  sacrifices  to  God  and  to  earth  were 
offered  at  the  winter  and  summer  solstices  by  the 
Emperor  : he  also  sacrificed  to  the  four  quarters  and 
to  the  mountains  and  rivers  of  his  Empire.  The 
nobility  sacrificed  each  to  their  own  quarter,  with 
its  rivers  and  mountains.  The  royal  sacrifice  was  a 
young  ox  of  one  colour,  which  had  been  specially 
reserved  for  the  purpose.  The  sacrifices  of  the  people 
varied  according  to  rank  and  to  the  season  of  the  year 
— a bull,  a ram,  a boar,  scallions  and  eggs,  wheat,  fish, 
millet,  a sucking  pig,  unhulled  rice,  a goose. 

The  sacrifices  in  early  times  consisted  of  meat  and 
drink  ; those  offered  to  heaven  were  burnt,  and  those 
to  earth  were  buried,  accompanied  by  the  beating  of 
an  earthen  drum.  But  sacrifices  were  not  very  fre- 
quent ; in  the  “ Book  of  Rites  ” it  says  : “ Sacrifices 


ch.  vi  Sacred  Shrine  of  Tai  Sha?i 

should  not  be  frequently  repeated.  Such  frequency 
is  indicative  of  importunateness  ; and  importunateness 
is  inconsistent  with  reverence.  Nor  should  they  be 
at  distant  intervals.  Such  infrequency  is  indicative 
of  indifference,  and  indifference  leads  to  forgetting 
them  altogether.  Therefore  the  superior  man,  in 
harmony  with  the  course  of  nature,  offers  the  sacri- 
fices of  spring  and  autumn.  When  he  treads  on  the 
dew,  which  has  descended  as  hoarfrost,  he  cannot  help 
a feeling  of  sadness  which  arises  in  his  mind,  and 
cannot  be  ascribed  to  the  cold.  In  spring,  when  he 
treads  on  the  ground,  wet  with  the  rains  and  dews  that 
have  fallen  heavily,  he  cannot  avoid  being  moved  by 
a feeling  as  if  he  were  seeing  his  departed  friends. 
We  meet  the  approach  of  our  friends  with  music,  and 
escort  them  away  with  sadness,  and  hence  at  the  sacri- 
fice in  spring  we  use  music,  but  not  at  the  sacrifice  in 
autumn”  (Legge’s  translation). 

Such  a poetic  description  of  worship  is  worthy  of 
the  scene  which  greeted  our  gaze  on  the  mountain 
after  we  had  passed  through  the  Gate  of  Heaven,  the 
fine  culminating  point  of  the  steep  ascent.  The  view 
from  the  summit,  which  is  but  a gentle  ascent  from 
the  Gate  of  Heaven,  was  absolutely  glorious — range 
upon  range  of  mountains,  countless  villages  dotted 
over  the  forty  miles  of  plain  and  in  the  folds  of  the 
hills,  and  above  all  the  winding,  shining  river,  going 
away,  away,  away,  till  it  was  lost  in  infinite  space. 
Was  it  that  the  effedt  of  such  a vision  unhinged  the 
minds  of  worshippers,  since  this  became  the  place 

51 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vi 

where  people  cast  themselves  down  into  the  abyss  ? 
There  were  so  many  deaths  that  the  authorities  have 
had  it  walled  in,  and  the  place  is  called  “ Cliff  of  the 
Love  of  Life.” 

When  we  began  our  descent  we  resolved  to  do  the 
corredl  thing — despite  the  terror  it  inspired  in  us — 
and  be  carried  down  the  almost  perpendicular  stair- 
way. The  men  carry  the  chairs  sideways,  because  of 
the  narrowness  of  the  steps,  and  run  down,  pitter- 
patter,  as  hard  as  they  can  go.  I had  my  watch  in 
hand  and  timed  them — a thousand  steps  in  six  minutes. 
The  most  horrible  moment  was  when  they  flung  the 
chair,  with  a dexterous  turn  of  the  wrist,  from  one 
shoulder  to  the  other.  One  false  step  and  we  should 
all  have  been  killed  together  ; but  the  “ tigers  ” never 
make  a false  step.  Really  the  only  danger  is  that  the 
carrying  poles  may  snap.  The  whole  return  journey 
— reckoned  at  thirteen  miles — took  only  two  and  a 
half  hours.  The  height  of  the  mountain  is  5500 
feet,  whereas  Tai-an  is  only  800  feet  above  sea-level. 
Stones  are  carried  from  it  to  all  parts  of  the  province, 
and  when  a house  is  built  with  an  unlucky  aspedt — 
namely,  facing  a cross-road  or  a turning — one  of  these 
stones  is  built  into  the  wall,  with  an  inscription,  “ The 
stone  from  Tai  Shan  accepts  the  responsibility.” 


52 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Home  of  Confucius  : Kiifow 

The  next  morning  we  were  just  about  to 
start,  when  the  magistrate  of  the  city  was 
announced  (imagine  a ceremonious  call  at 
7 A.M.  !),  and  he  was  ushered  in,  together  with  his 
present  to  us — a tray  containing  fine  pears,  pome- 
granates, dates,  and  nuts.  We  accepted  part  (in 
Chinese  etiquette  this  stands  for  “gratitude  for  his 
generosity  ”),  and  returned  part  (“  humility  of  the 
recipient  ”).  He  was  immediately  served  with  tea 
and  cakes,  and  explained  to  us  that,  owing  to  a message 
from  the  Governor  of  the  province,  he  had  been  ex- 
pedfing  our  arrival  and  had  prepared  an  inn  for  us. 
Understanding  that  we  were  just  setting  out  on  our 
journey,  he  only  stayed  a short  time  after  we  had 
thanked  him  for  his  hospitality,  so  that  we  were  able 
to  do  our  day’s  stage  in  good  time. 

The  following  day  we  started  at  6 a.m.,  and  managed 
our  thirty-six  miles  in  twelve  hours,  as  the  roads  were 
in  good  condition.  At  midday  we  halted  for  lunch 
at  an  inn,  where  we  were  told  that  the  magistrate 
had  made  preparations  for  our  entertainment.  A 
scarlet  curtain  was  hung  in  front  of  the  door  ; there 
were  mats  and  carpet  on  the  floor  of  the  two  rooms, 

53 


l^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

coverlets  on  the  khangs  ( = brick  bedsteads),  a good 
table  and  European  chairs,  scrolls  on  the  walls,  a white 
table-cloth,  and,  to  complete  all — a champagne  lunch  ! 
We  declined  the  champagne,  lager-beer,  and  most  of 
the  “ plats,”  but  enjoyed  the  chicken  and  eggs.  The 
advantage  of  having  the  inns  cleaned  up  and  fresh 
mats  put  down  is  great.  Our  military  escort,  varying 
from  one  to  four,  is  highly  diverting,  and  they  are 
usually  mounted  on  shaggy  ponies,  on  which  they 
look  quite  fine,  especially  when  they  have  their  scarlet 
or  yellow  umbrellas  up. 

As  we  approached  our  destination,  Kiifow,  a man 
came  dashing  across  the  plain  at  full  gallop,  and  flung 
himself  off  his  horse  at  our  feet,  announcing  that  the 
magistrate  had  ordered  a private  house  in  the  city  to 
be  prepared  for  our  reception,  to  which  he  would 
conduct  us.  Just  outside  the  gates  we  found  four 
soldiers  standing  at  attention  : they  gave  us  a military 
salute,  bobbing  down  till  their  right  hands  touched 
the  ground  and  then  emitting  a startling  yell.  Ac- 
companied by  them  (they  remained  with  us  in  attend- 
ance till  we  left  Kiifow)  we  soon  reached  our  quarters, 
a charafteristic  Chinese  gentleman’s  house,  very  nice 
and  clean,  in  which  a suite  of  three  rooms  was  placed 
at  our  disposal  (the  block  seen  in  the  sketch).  A 
major-domo  received  us  at  the  entrance  and  led  us 
ceremoniously  to  the  inner  courtyard,  where  tea  was 
at  once  served,  and  we  were  told  that  dinner  would  be 
ready  shortly,  and  that  the  magistrate  would  call  on 
us  as  soon  as  we  had  dined. 

54 


I’UIVATK  HOI  SK:  KI  KOW 


ch.  vii  ’The  Home  oj  Confucius 

Our  interpreter,  Mr.  Summer,  had  informed  us  that 
he  was  the  son  of  an  official  and  knew  exactly  what 
ought  to  be  done  ; so  we  placed  ourselves  in  his  hands, 
and  our  visiting-cards  and  thanks  were  at  once  de- 
spatched to  the  magistrate.  After  dinner  the  chairs 
were  arranged  in  rows,  and  tea  and  cakes  set  on  the 
table  in  readiness  for  his  arrival.  He  asked  particu- 
larly if  we  had  enjoyed  our  dinner,  which  he  had 
ordered  to  be  cooked  in  European  style,  and  it  was 
quite  good  and  palatable,  especially  as  we  had  the  best 
of  sauces  after  our  long  day’s  march.  It  appeared 
that  our  host  had  provided  three  cooks  (trained  in 
European  ways),  three  other  servants,  four  soldiers,  and 
two  policemen  to  look  after  us,  but  our  own  men 
undertook  all  the  personal  attendance. 

Next  morning  we  went  in  procession  to  the  temple 
— the  Holy  of  Holies  of  Confucianism — for  all  the 
establishment  seemed  to  think  they  should  accompany 
us.  We  decided  to  make  a detour  in  order  to  approach 
it  from  the  most  picturesque  side,  and  the  view  was 
certainly  charming  as  we  walked  along  the  moat  out- 
side the  city  wall,  where  lotus  leaves  floated  on  the 
still  water,  and  tall  rushes  and  flags  rustled  under 
the  leafy  trees.  Nothing  was  needed  to  enhance  the 
beauty  of  the  spot,  and  a few  minutes’  walk  brought 
us  to  the  celebrated  avenue  of  cypresses  leading  to  the 
south  gate  of  the  city,  within  which  is  the  fine  entrance 
to  the  temples.  They  are  enclosed  in  a park  which 
occupies  a whole  quarter  of  the  town,  and  has  plenty 
of  trees  to  form  a worthy  setting  for  the  large  groups 

55 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

of  buildings  connedled  with  Confucianism,  temples 
not  only  to  Confucius  but  to  his  parents,  followers, 
and  to  the  other  great  sages,  Mencius  and  Yentzu. 
The  buildings  are  some  of  the  finest  in  the  Empire, 
and  very  lofty,  with  their  double-storied  roofs  covered 
with  orange  and  green  tiles.  The  eaves  are  heavily 
decorated  with  fine  coloured  woodwork,  protedted 
with  netting  from  the  vast  flocks  of  birds  and  bats 
that  hover  round  them,  and  the  pillars  of  the  Hall  of 
Perfedtion  are  magnificently  carved  monoliths.  In 
the  first  courtyard  are  many  interesting  stone  tablets, 
eight  or  ten  feet  high,  standing  on  the  backs  of  stone 
tortoises  or  mythical  beasts  of  similar  shape  in  pidtur- 
esque  little  temples  with  yellow-tiled  roofs  and  Venetian 
red  woodwork.  Hoary  cypresses  towered  above  them. 
In  the  next  courtyard  was  a preaching  hall  (not  in  use 
for  that  purpose,  however),  from  which  we  ascended 
by  a long  steep  flight  of  stairs,  with  folding  gates  half- 
way up,  to  a dark  upper  chamber.  Another  flight  of 
steps  took  us  to  a room  surrounded  by  a balcony,  from 
which  we  had  a splendid  view  over  the  many  temples 
clustered  round  a great  central  one,  which  appears 
above  the  orange  and  green  tiled  temple  in  the  sketch 
which  I took  from  this  point  of  view.  It  is  the  most 
imposing  of  the  group  of  buildings,  and  is  entirely 
tiled  with  orange,  none  but  Confucian  temples  being 
allowed  to  have  this  colour.  Flocks  of  crows,  pigeons, 
and  other  birds  were  circling  round  it ; indeed,  we  had 
been  awakened  by  the  deafening  noise  they  made  in 
the  early  morning.  In  the  courtyard  as  well  as  in  the 

56 


c ■ o X F r n A \ j ' K M I > I , I •; 


ch.  vii  The  Home  of  Co7tfucius 

temples  were  fine  old  bronzes  ; carved  marble  steps 
led  up  to  the  principal  hall,  a lofty  building  with  pillars 
and  red  painted  woodwork.  Here  Confucius  sits 
under  a canopy,  with  handsomely  embroidered  curtains 
partly  shrouding  him,  and  an  altar  bearing  bronze 
incense  bowls  in  front.  On  either  side,  at  right  angles, 
are  the  figures  of  two  other  great  Chinese  sages, 
Mencius  and  Tze-Sze,  seated  in  shrines,  and  behind 
them  again  are  six  disciples  seated  against  the  walls 
on  either  side. 

The  sacrifices  to  Confucius  were  formally  estab- 
lished by  an  emperor  (a.d.  59),  who  also  ordered  that 
the  teaching  of  Confucius  should  be  studied  in  all 
schools  throughout  the  Empire.  This  is  still  done 
everywhere,  even  in  the  new  universities,  but  the  adtual 
sacrifices — pigs,  sheep,  and  cattle — are  reserved  for 
temple  worship.  These  take  place  before  dawn  in  the 
second  and  eighth  month.  There  is  plenty  of  room 
in  the  grounds  belonging  to  the  temple  for  pasturage, 
even  for  the  vast  number  of  animals  required,  as  it  is 
about  8000  acres  in  extent.  More  than  500  years 
elapsed  after  the  death  of  Confucius  before  he  was 
universally  worshipped,  but  the  worship  had  the  royal 
sandlion,  for  his  teaching  is  aristocratic  in  charadler, 
whereas  that  of  the  yet  greater  but  less  noted  sage, 
Mencius,  was  as  thoroughly  democratic. 

Confucianism  is  rather  a system  of  ethics  than  a 
religion.  Confucius  merely  accepted  (and  that  only 
to  a limited  extent)  the  religion  of  the  age  and  country 
in  which  he  lived,  and  he  added  to  it  a code  of  morals 

57 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

dealing  largely  with  the  government  of  the  State. 
He  said,  “ I am  not  an  originator,  but  a transmitter.” 
Confucius  lived  contemporaneously  with  the  Buddha, 
but  no  two  great  teachers  of  mankind  could  have 
differed  more  widely  from  one  another  than  did  these, 
both  in  character  and  in  teaching.  In  the  Buddha, 
love  and  pity  for  the  sorrows  of  humanity  drowned 
every  other  feeling,  and  he  resolutely  refused  to  use  his 
powerful  intelledtual  faculties  for  any  other  purpose 
than  to  lessen  suffering,  and  eventually  to  rid  the 
world  of  it.  Confucius,  on  the  other  hand,  allowed 
his  intellect  free  play,  and  it  appears  to  have  led  him 
to  look  with  tolerance,  and  a certain  measure  of  ac- 
quiescence, on  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  age.  There 
is  a famous  saying  of  his,  “ Respedf  the  spirits,  but 
keep  them  at  a distance.”  At  the  same  time,  he  was 
conscious  of  his  mission  as  a teacher  sent  by  God  ; 
he  says,  when  threatened  by  the  people  of  K’uang  : 
“After  the  death  of  King  Wen,  was  not  wisdom  lodged 
in  me  .?  If  God  were  to  destroy  this  wisdom,  future 
generations  could  not  possess  it.  So  long  as  God  does 
not  destroy  this  wisdom,  what  can  the  people  of 
K’uang  do  to  me  ? ” Confucius  seems  to  have  been 
a superstitious  man  ; he  was  apt  to  turn  pale  at  a 
thunderclap,  and  he  sanctioned  the  practices  of  the 
village  folk  for  driving  away  evil  spirits. 

The  most  important  features  of  his  teaching  are  the 
high  ideals  which  he  inculcated  for  the  ruling  of  the 
State,  and  the  stress  he  laid  on  the  obligations  of  men 
to  their  fellow-men,  even  more  than  on  their  obliga- 

58 


ch.  vii  l^he  Home  of  Confucius 

tions  towards  God.  One  of  his  fundamental  dodlrines 
was  that  all  men  are  born  radically  good.  This 
dodlrine  is  not  accepted — at  all  events,  at  the  present 
day — with  regard  to  women  ; the  Chinese  would  be 
more  inclined  to  say,  “ All  women  are  born  radically 
stupid,”  or,  as  the  women  themselves  frequently  put 
it,  “ We  are  only  wooden-heads.”  Confucius  also 
strongly  advocated  the  duty  of  reverence  and  sincerity, 
and  “protested  against  any  attempt  to  impose  on  God.” 
He  rose  from  his  seat  in  the  presence  of  any  one  dressed 
in  mourning.  The  five  cardinal  virtues  taught  by 
Confucius  are  righteousness,  benevolence,  politeness, 
discernment  of  good,  and  sincerity. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  from  the  above  brief 
account  of  Confucianism  that  it  is  quite  possible  to 
combine  it  as  a religion  either  with  Buddhism  or 
Taoism,  and  in  point  of  fa<5t  it  is  not  unusual  for  a 
Chinaman  to  profess  all  three  religions  at  the  same 
time,  or  by  turns.  I was  told  in  Shansi  that  some- 
times a village  would  feel  aggrieved  at  their  gods  not 
having  protected  them  from  some  disaster,  or  given 
them  sufficiently  good  crops,  so  they  would  decide  to 
try  another  religion  for  a time.  The  transformation 
in  a village  temple  is  easily  effedled. 

Not  only  were  divine  honours  paid  to  Confucius, 
but  his  family  also  were  promoted  to  places  of  honour 
in  the  cult,  and  had  adjoining  temples  raised  to  them, 
though  only  his  father  was  granted  a statue.  In  one 
of  the  temples  is  a fine  series  of  stones  engraved  like 
brasses,  descriptive  of  the  life  of  Confucius.  These 

59 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

are  so  greatly  admired  that  it  has  been  found  necessary 
for  their  preservation  to  have  papers  pasted  across 
them  intimating  that  rubbings  are  not  to  be  taken 
from  them.  Some  of  these  tablets  are  fine  specimens 
of  writing — for  Kiifow  is  above  all  places  the  home 
of  Chinese  literature — and  the  inscriptions  aim  at 
being  brief,  telling,  and  enigmatic.  Their  value 
depends  also  on  beauty  of  style  and  calligraphy. 

The  temples  are  only  about  two  hundred  years  old, 
as  they  have  twice  been  destroyed  by  lightning.  The 
first  time  it  happened,  a thrill  of  terror  ran  through  the 
whole  Empire:  nothing  further  happened,  so  the  next 
time  the  nation  took  it  quite  calmly.  There  are  no 
priests  to  look  after  the  place,  and,  to  judge  by  its 
negledted  appearance,  the  five  families  exempted  from 
taxation  by  some  bygone  emperor,  in  order  that  they 
might  devote  themselves  to  the  care  of  it,  have  be- 
come extindf.  The  emperor  used  formerly  to  come 
at  stated  times  in  order  to  offer  sacrifices,  as  being  the 
visible  head  of  Confucianism,  but  now  he  contents 
himself  with  sending  every  two  or  three  years  to 
decorate  the  temple  and  keep  it  in  repair. 

As  we  were  leaving  it  began  to  rain  a little,  so  the 
soldiers  and  police  put  on  their  hats,  till  then  slung 
on  their  backs  : when  it  rains  heavily  they  put  up 
the  scarlet  umbrella  as  well ! 

After  lunch  we  called  on  the  magistrate  to  thank 
him  for  his  hospitality  and  to  take  leave  of  him, 
attended  by  all  our  retinue,  plus  the  rag-tag  and  bob- 
tail  of  the  town,  with  our  card-case  (measuring  ii^ 

6o 


ch.  vii  The  Ho?ne  of  Confucius 

inches  by  6^  inches)  carried  in  front  by  the  servant  ; 
then  came  “ Mr.  Summers,”  who  had  managed  to 
raise  a horse  for  the  occasion.  Tea  and  cigarettes 
were  handed  round,  and  we  were  placed  in  seats  of 
honour  on  a sort  of  platform.  We  did  not  linger,  as 
we  were  anxious  to  complete  our  pilgrimage  by  visit- 
ing the  grave  of  Confucius,  situated  in  a park  a short 
distance  outside  the  town.  It  is  approached  through 
a series  of  gateways  of  varying  sizes  and  importance. 
Long  avenues  of  cypresses  lead  from  one  gateway  to 
another,  and  at  last  a spot  is  reached  from  which 
every  one  is  commanded  to  approach  the  grave  on 
foot.  This  is  simple  and  dignified,  as  befits  a sage — 
nothing  but  a tablet  bearing  an  inscription,  set  up  on 
a plain  low  pedestal,  shaded  by  trees.  Near  it  are  the 
graves  of  other  members  of  the  family  of  Confucius, 
which  are  much  less  modest.  His  grandson’s  tablet 
has  two  curious  tall  stone  figures  of  servants  on  each 
side.  This  descendant  wrote  a celebrated  treatise 
called  the  “ Doctrine  of  the  Mean.” 

In  the  evening  the  ladies  of  the  family  of  the 
official  to  whom  the  house  in  which  we  were  staying 
belonged  asked  permission  to  call  on  us.  We  enter- 
tained them  and  asked  all  the  polite  questions  we 
could  think  of,  such  as  their  names,  where  they  came 
from  (Chinese  officials  always  seem  to  be  moving 
about  the  country),  number  of  children,  their  age, 
Gfc.,  and  we  were  asked  similar  questions  in  return. 
Suddenly  a hitherto  silent  member  of  the  party  asked 
in  a shrill  tone,  “ What  is  your  rank  ? ” a most  diffi- 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

cult  question  to  answer  so  that  they  could  understand, 
except  in  an  ambiguous  way.  They  were  much 
pleased  to  drink  “ English  ” tea,  which  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  what  is  prepared  for  the  Chinese  market, 
and  to  eat  English  cakes,  some  of  which  they  carried 
away  in  their  handkerchiefs. 

The  following  morning  we  took  our  leave,  hoping 
that  our  guide  would  prove  his  official  skill  by  cor- 
redtly  tipping  the  various  members  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  the  same  ceremonies  were  gone  through  as 
on  our  arrival.  The  guide  sent  the  cook  to  “ buy 
cash,”  which  was  carried  after  him,  as  he  felt  far  too 
important  to  carry  it  himself.  The  money  worry 
was  beginning  to  grow  acute,  as  its  value  varies  every 
day,  and  at  Kufow  we  found  two  complete  systems  of 
coinage  in  use,  one  reckoning  only  half  as  much  as 
the  other  ; the  loo  cash  meaning  anything  between 
8o  and  97,  but  never  by  any  chance  meaning  100. 
The  Government,  not  to  mention  banks  and  officials, 
reckons  to  get  a “ squeeze  ” out  of  everything,  so  it 
is  lucky  that  money  is  subdivided  into  infinitesimally 
small  values  ; 100  cash  being  worth  about  twopence- 
halfpenny. 

On  leaving  Kiifow  we  took  a somewhat  different 
route  from  what  we  did  in  coming,  as  we  wished  to 
visit  a Buddhist  monastery,  and  again  we  were  enter- 
tained by  hospitable  magistrates  on  the  road.  Evi- 
dently they  have  found  former  travellers  thirsty  for 
something  else  than  the  national  beverage,  so  Miin- 
chenes  Bier  was  provided.  On  the  second  day  we 

62 


ch.  vii  The  Home  of  Confucius 

had  a long  stage — 38  miles — to  do,  so  we  got  up  at 
4.30.  Alas  ! No  sooner  were  we  ready  than  down 
came  the  rain,  in  a most  uncompromising  way,  and 
the  men  refused  to  set  out.  After  waiting  a couple 
of  hours  it  seemed  to  be  clearing  ; we  made  a feeble 
start,  but  the  men  crept  along  like  snails,  and  their 
steps  were  so  uncertain  on  the  slippery  ground  as  to 
make  us  quite  nervous.  We  got  safely  across  the 
ferry,  though  the  water  had  risen  a good  deal  con- 
sidering how  little  rain  had  fallen.  Our  soldier 
escort  galloped  away  under  his  red  umbrella,  and  we 
saw  him  no  more.  The  men  set  us  down  in  an  inn 
doorway  on  the  farther  side  of  the  river,  provided 
themselves  with  hot  sweet  potatoes  from  an  itinerant 
1 vendor  who  happened  to  be  passing,  and  refused  to 

go  any  farther  in  the  rain.  By  dint  of  persuasion 
and  the  promise  of  sixpence  each  extra  (exorbitant 
I sum  !)  if  they  would  do  the  stage  that  day,  we  got 
them  to  make  a fresh  start.  We  plodded  slowly  on 
i for  five  hours,  and  found  we  had  done  twenty  miles 
j by  the  time  we  reached  our  midday  rest  ; we  halted 

1 for  an  hour,  and  the  rain  stopped,  so  that  we  got  on 

I much  better  afterwards.  During  the  rain  there  was 

' not  a creature  to  be  seen  except  ourselves  in  all  the 

! wide  landscape,  but  the  minute  it  stopped  the  people 

' appeared  in  every  direction  as  if  by  magic.  In  the 

village  streets  we  found  great  difficulty,  as  the  rain 
had  converted  them  into  one  big  puddle,  and  the 
* men  tried  to  hop  about  from  stone  to  stone.  When 

I it  grew  dark  we  were  terrified,  and  I clutched  a large 

I 63 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  vii 

eider-down  pillow  in  readiness  to  cover  my  face  when 
I should  take  the  seemingly  inevitable  plunge  into 
the  morass.  However,  we  escaped  all  disaster,  and 
the  men  walked  without  stumbling  through  dry 
water-courses  and  over  rough  boulders,  and  the  cart 
jogged  along  over  impossible  places.  When  the  moon 
rose  it  was  like  fairyland  ; and  at  eight  o’clock  we 
triumphantly  trudged  into  our  inn. 

The  following  morning  we  started  at  six  o’clock  for 
the  celebrated  Buddhist  monastery  of  Lu,  and  reached 
it  about  1 1.30.  This  monastery  is  situated  up  a soli- 
tary valley  about  six  miles  from  the  high-road,  and 
the  situation  was  splendid.  It  nestled  in  a hollow  of 
lofty  hills,  its  tall  pagoda  standing  out  sharply  from 
the  trees.  There  was  a pylon  part  way  up,  and  two 
stone  bridges  with  yew-trees  overarching  them.  The 
buildings  round  the  temple  are  not  at  all  imposing, 
but  the  entrance  gate  has  a gilt  Buddha  seated  in  the 
centre,  surrounded  by  four  huge  statues,  each  of  a dif- 
ferent colour,  representing  tutelary  deities  belonging 
to  the  Taoist  religion  ; and  back  to  back  with  Buddha 
was  another  god. 

The  first  temple  we  came  to  contained  three  seated 
Buddhas  with  a curious  rockwork  background,  but 
beyond  it  and  up  a flight  of  steps  was  a much  more 
imposing  temple,  of  which  both  design  and  colouring 
were  a facsimile  of  what  we  had  just  seen  at  Kiifow, 
only  on  a smaller  scale.  It  was  impossible,  judging 
by  the  exterior,  to  tell  that  it  was  Buddhist  and  not 
Taoist  or  Confucian,  but  inside  there  was  no  mistake. 

64 


ch.  vii  The  Home  of  Confucius 

Buddha  sat  enthroned  on  a large  lotus  blossom,  with 
a halo  behind  him  and  a thousand  little  seated  gilt 
Buddhas  on  shelves  all  round  the  hall.  Life-size  figures 
of  the  42  Lo  Han  were  seated  against  the  walls,  and 
amongst  them  were  the  two  emperors,  pointed  out  to 
us  by  one  of  the  monks.  We  discovered  for  ourselves 
a figure  who  we  felt  sure  was  Marco  Polo  : he  had 
the  face  of  an  Arab  and  wore  a drapery  over  his  head, 
unlike  any  of  the  other  figures  ; the  monk  could  only 
tell  us  that  he  was  a man  from  the  West.  What  would 
Marco  Polo  have  said  if  he  could  have  foreseen  that 
he  would  be  placed  among  the  Buddhist  “ holy  ones”? 

The  rest  of  our  journey  back  to  Tsinan  was  accom- 
plished safely  in  two  and  a half  days. 


65 


E 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Yellow  River  and  Grand  Canal 

WE  had  little  difficulty  in  deciding  which 
route  to  take  from  Tsinan  to  Tientsin,  as 
the  railway  journey  to  Tsingtao  and  by  ship 
thence  were  both  equally  disliked  by  us.  We  deter- 
mined to  strike  across  country  (travelling  in  the  same 
way  as  to  Kiifow)  as  far  as  Tehchow  on  the  Grand 
Canal,  and  to  go  up  it  by  boat  to  Tientsin — in  all, 
a week’s  journey.  The  country  is  flat  and  not  nearly 
so  varied  as  the  rest  of  the  province,  but  it  contained 
one  most  interesting  experience  for  us,  the  crossing  of 
the  Yellow  River.  When  we  reached  its  banks  we 
saw  a far  more  turbulent  flood  than  that  of  theYangtze, 
and  of  the  same  dull  mud  colour.  It  took  a little  time 
to  arrange  for  us  to  be  ferried  across  and  then  to  get 
our  cart  and  mules  on  board,  and  we  had  time  to  study 
the  route  to  be  taken,  as  there  was  a large  amount  of 
traffic  at  this  point.  It  seemed  strange  that  there  was 
no  bridge  across,  especially  when  we  saw  the  difficulty 
of  navigating  it  ; but  it  may  be  that,  as  the  river  is 
so  capricious  in  its  choice  of  a bed,  the  authorities 
consider  it  not  worth  while  to  build  a bridge.  The 
enormous  amount  of  silt  and  mud  which  it  brings  down 

66 


ch.  viii  Yellow  Rive?'  and  Grand  Canal 

with  it  soon  fills  up  the  bed  and  causes  frightful  inun- 
dations. Dikes  have  to  be  built,  and  when  they  are 
broken  through  by  flood  a most  extraordinary  method 
of  repairing  them  is  used.  A sort  of  gigantic  pad  of 
earth  and  stones,  in  a basket-work  made  of  kaoliang 
( = sorghum)  stalks  and  roots,  is  prepared  and  lowered 
into  the  breach  by  means  of  ropes,  thousands  of  coolies 
being  employed  on  the  task.  None  but  Chinese  could 
devise  or  manage  to  execute  such  a work.  On  one 
occasion  over  4000  people  were  drowned  by  the  break- 
ing down  of  a dike.  Now  the  Government  is  seriously 
considering  how  to  deal  with  the  difficulty  of  control- 
ling the  course  of  the  river.  When  we  were  safely  on 
board  the  large  ferry-boat,  the  boatmen  towed  us  up 
the  river-bank  for  about  half-an-hour  till  we  came  to 
a point  at  which  we  could  start,  and  then  they  came 
on  board  to  row.  It  taxed  their  powers  to  the  utmost, 
and  by  dint  of  straining  every  nerve  they  landed  us  at 
a point  just  opposite  to  that  from  which  we  originally 
started.  Their  work  looked  the  most  arduous  I have 
ever  seen. 

In  the  year  1852  the  Yellow  River  took  a new 
course  (which  was  still  further  changed  in  1887)  ^rom 
the  south  of  the  province  of  Honan,  in  a north-east 
instead  of  a south-east  direction,  so  that  now  it  falls 
into  the  Gulf  of  Chili  instead  of  into  the  Yellow  Sea, 
to  the  south  of  the  province  of  Shantung,  Its  present 
mouth  is  some  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  its 
former  one.  It  has  with  good  reason  been  named 
“ China’s  Sorrow.”  Like  the  Yangtze,  it  rises  in  the 

67 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  viii 

mountains  of  Tibet,  and  follows  a devious  course  of 
2500  miles  through  northern  China  ; but  unlike  the 
Yangtze,  the  main  highway  of  commerce,  the  Yellow 
River  or  Hwang  Ho  is  of  no  use  for  trade  purposes. 
A decree  has  just  been  issued  granting  ten  sticks  of 
great  Tibetan  incense  to  be  burnt  at  the  altar  of  the 
Dragon  King  Temple  (riverine  deity)  in  token  of 
Imperial  gratitude  because  there  was  a peaceful 
river  last  year.  This  is  done  in  response  to  the  report 
of  the  Governor  of  Chili  ; and  rewards  have  been 
given  to  a number  of  officials  for  their  vigilance  in 
connection  with  the  Yellow  River  conservancy. 

The  following  day  we  wanted  to  visit  an  American 
hospital  a little  more  than  a mile  off  the  high-road  to 
Tehchow,  and  had  no  end  of  difficulty  in  first  persuad- 
ing the  men  to  permit  the  visit  and  then  in  finding 
the  road.  We  decided  to  let  “Mr.  Summer”  and 
the  luggage  go  straight  on  to  Tehchow,  to  get  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  boat,  the  kind  Irish  postmaster  at 
Tsinan  having  sent  word  to  his  subordinate  there  to 
get  us  one.  We  progressed  but  slowly,  asking  every 
creature  we  met  which  was  the  way.  The  Chinese 
peasant  is  a stolid  being,  doing  his  task  and  taking 
little  account  of  anything  else,  but  at  last  we  did 
arrive,  and  spent  a couple  of  hours  seeing  school, 
hospital,  &c.  The  result  of  our  slow  progress  in  the 
morning  was  that  we  did  not  reach  Tehchow  till  it 
was  pitch-dark,  and  by  mistake  our  men  were  not  told 
to  go  to  the  post-office  for  “ Mr.  Summer,”  while  we 
waited  at  the  mission-room  of  the  people  whom  we 

68 


OI  K HOl'SKr.OAT,  GKANII  CAXAI. 


ch.  viii  Yellow  River  and  Grand  Canal 

had  just  visited.  In  vain  we  tried  to  make  the  servant 
understand,  and  the  evangelist’s  household  was  equally 
uncomprehending,  but  kindly  brought  us  tea.  After 
much  consultation  over  our  affairs  they  fetched  a 
young  man  who  spoke  English  beautifully,  and  he  at 
once  set  about  finding  “ Mr,  Summer  ” and  getting 
food  for  us.  He  was  a student  from  Peking,  and  asked 
what  we  should  have  done  if  no  one  had  been  found 
who  knew  English,  and  after  a short  time  “ Mr. 
Summer  ” and  the  postmaster  turned  up.  They  had 
been  hunting  for  us  outside  the  city,  and  somehow 
had  missed  us  in  the  dark. 

Next  morning  we  went  on  board  the  house-boat,  and 
had  a comfortable  but  somewhat  tame  journey  up  the 
Grand  Canal,  which  hardly  comes  up  to  its  name.  I 
spent  nearly  an  hour  sketching  our  house-boat  in  the 
rosy  light  of  sunrise  before  the  men  were  ready  to 
start  ; certainly  the  spot  was  not  very  picturesque. 
This  was  by  no  means  the  first  canal  to  be  made  in 
China,  though  it  is  the  one  best  known  to  Europeans. 
I shall  venture  to  quote  at  length  an  interesting  descrip- 
tion of  a much  earlier  canal  from  a paper  read  to  the 
China  Society  in  London  by  H.  E.  Lord  Li  Ching- 
Fong,  the  Chinese  Ambassador^  to  our  own  Court  : 
“ Once  during  an  inundation  in  China  artificial  channels 
were  cut  in  order  that  the  nine  rivers  might  carry  all 
the  surplus  water  to  the  sea.  Even  mountains  were 
tunnelled  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  canals. 
Henceforth  the  ground  was  cultivated  again  and  the 

' H.  E.  is  a nephew  of  the  late  Li  Hung  Chang,  and  was  adopted  by  him. 

69 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  viii 

havoc  was  avoided.  To  the  sagacity  of  Yew  we  attri- 
bute the  merit  of  this  undertaking,  which  we  regard 
as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  works  of  man.  It  was 
begun  in  2283  b.c.  and  ended  in  2272  b.c.”  The 
Grand  Canal  was  begun  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
is  over  2000  miles  long,  but  where  we  entered  it  it 
is  really  a small  natural  river,  and  we  were  either  towed 
or  rowed  most  of  the  way  to  Tientsin,  with  not  much 
assistance  from  the  sail.  It  was  formerly  used  for  the 
transport  of  grain  (the  imperial  tribute),  but  since 
1900  the  sea  route  has  been  used  instead,  and  the  value 
of  the  canal  decreases  daily,  owing  to  the  continually 
increasing  facilities  of  transport,  both  by  rail  and  by 
sea.  We  passed  many  villages,  but  only  one  of  the 
forty-one  cities  which  lie  on  its  banks.  On  the  fourth 
day  we  came  to  the  custom-house  outside  Tientsin  at 
9 A.M.,  and  asked  “ Mr.  Summer”  to  inquire  if  we 
could  not  go  by  ricksha  to  our  destination,  as  that 
would  save  time.  He  came  back  with  the  information 
that  it  could  not  be  done,  so  we  resigned  ourselves  to 
wait.  Afterwards  we  learnt  that  it  is  always  done, 
and  that  it  would  have  taken  us  less  than  an  hour  to 
go  by  ricksha  or  steam  tram,  and  saved  us  six  hours 
of  passing  through  the  dirtiest  conceivable  waterway, 
which  our  noses  told  us  was  the  sewer  of  the  town  ! 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  disgustingness  of  what 
we  saw,  really  quite  the  nastiest  thing  in  China,  and 
one  could  only  feel  thankful  that  at  least  a good 
deal  of  the  native  quarter  had  been  destroyed  during 
the  siege. 


70 


ch.  viii  ITellow  River  and  Grand  Canal 

Tientsin  is  one  of  the  most  Europeanised  towns  of 
China,  and  it  is  not  only  an  active  commercial  port 
but  is  the  centre  of  the  Chinese  educational  move- 
ment. This  was  vigorously  and  successfully  organised 
by  Yuan  Shih  Kai.  He  made  a complete  system  of 
primary  and  secondary  schools  for  both  sexes,  and 
besides  the  middle  schools  there  are  special  schools  of 
engineering,  languages,  medicine,  &c.,  including  a 
medical  training-college  for  women,  with  a well  quali- 
fied Chinese  lady  doctor  at  the  head  of  it,  who  was 
trained  in  America. 

There  is  also  an  excellent  Anglo-Chinese  Mission 
College,  founded  in  1902,  of  which  Dr.  Lavington 
Harl,  M.A.,  D.Sc.,  is  the  principal.  Last  year  the 
students  numbered  320,  of  whom  sixty  were  boarders 
and  the  remainder  day  scholars.  The  curriculum  now 
includes  full  training  for  chemical  analysts  and  a school 
of  eledlrical  engineering,  while  it  is  intended  to  open 
a law  school  during  the  current  year,  1909.  Yuan 
Shih  Kai  gave  evidence  of  his  broad-mindedness  by 
contributing  6000  taels  to  the  building  fund  of  the 
last  block,  opened  in  1 907.  Some  of  the  students  have 
found  this  college  an  excellent  preparation  for  school 
life  in  England. 

Tientsin  is  the  first  city  in  the  Empire  to  boast  of 
municipal  government  on  Western  lines,  and  for  this 
also  Yuan  Shih  Kai  is  responsible.  The  Chinese  are 
a wonderfully  law-abiding  people,  and  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  look  at  our  neighbouring  port  of  Wei-hai-wei 
to  see  a remarkable  instance  of  this.  With  an  area 

71 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  viii 

of  285  square  miles  and  a population  of  150,000  in- 
habitants, a force  of  fifty-seven  native  police  and  three 
English  inspectors  is  found  quite  sufficient  to  keep 
perfect  order. 

It  can  be  no  matter  for  surprise  that  Tientsin  is  now 
to  be  made  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Chili  instead 
of  Paoting-fu,  a city  of  much  less  importance  under 
the  changed  conditions  produced  by  recent  events. 

Here  we  took  leave  of  “ Mr.  Summer,”  having 
already  made  arrangements  for  another  Chinaman  to 
go  with  us  from  Peking  to  Burma. 


72 


CHAPTER  IX 

Journey  into  Shansi  in  1893 

I NOW  must  go  back,  to  my  first  coming  to 
Tientsin  in  1893.  From  Shanghai  I came  in  a 
coasting  steamer,  and  it  was  after  starting  that  I 
made  the  rather  disconcerting  discovery  that  I was 
the  only  woman  on  board.  Nevertheless  it  was  the 
pleasantest  voyage  I ever  had,  as  my  cabin  had  a proper 
bed  in  it  and  its  own  bathroom,  and  I made  the  happy 
discovery  that  Chinese  servants  could  be  the  best  in 
the  world,  while  the  officers  all  conspired  to  amuse 
me.  The  voyage  lasted  a week,  and  the  slow  passage 
up  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho  [ho  means  “river”)  was  quite 
a new  experience.  We  ran  into  the  soft  banks  pretty 
frequently,  and  they  crumbled  like  dust  ; sometimes 
we  were  in  imminent  danger  of  carrying  away  a hut 
as  well,  but  happily  that  did  not  occur.  One  dread- 
ful objedl  kept  recurring  again  and  again — a tall  pole 
on  the  river-bank  with  a basket  on  the  top,  containing 
a criminal’s  head. 

At  Tientsin  I was  met  by  one  of  my  sisters  and  her 
husband,  who  had  come  to  take  me  into  Shansi.  The 
European  town  was  very  dull  and  prosaic,  and  the 
native  city  abjedtly  squalid,  but  now  the  former  is  well 

73 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  ix 

laid  out  and  there  are  plenty  of  large  houses,  shops, 
schools,  colleges,  and  tramways.  I was  not  sorry  to 
get  away  from  it,  however,  as  I was  anxious  to  see 
the  real  China,  and  we  soon  got  our  things  accommo- 
dated in  a small  house-boat  to  travel  up  the  river  to 
Paoting-fu.  Three  little  compartments  were  all  we 
had,  but  we  spent  a good  part  of  each  day  walking  on 
the  banks  and  admiring  the  lovely  autumn  colouring 
of  the  rushes.  On  my  return  a year  later  we  were 
not  so  fortunate,  as  the  war  with  Japan  was  in  full 
swing,  so  that  the  country  was  too  disturbed  for  us  to 
walk  about,  and  we  had  to  take  whatever  could  be  got 
in  the  way  of  a boat,  namely,  one  infested  with  cock- 
roaches and  other  vermin.  For  three  days  and  nights 
we  sat  in  misery,  scarcely  able  to  eat  or  sleep,  and  when 
we  opened  our  trunks  at  Tientsin  we  found  them 
simply  swarming  with  cockroaches.  They  had  eaten 
all  the  straw  of  a bonnet,  leaving  nothing  but  lining 
and  trimmings  ! 

At  Paoting-fu  we  left  the  river,  and  I had  a mule 
litter  while  the  others  rode.  These  litters  are  the 
most  horrible  invention,  as  the  mules  perpetually 
tumble  down,  and  even  though  you  pad  the  sides  with 
your  bedding  you  get  much  shaken.  When  we  came 
to  a river  we  had  to  ford  it  or  be  ferried  across,  for 
there  are  no  bridges  in  this  part,  and  often  the  rivers 
are  very  dangerous.  On  the  roads  we  met  long  strings 
of  camels  carrying  packs,  the  tail  of  one  animal  being 
attached  to  the  nose  of  the  one  behind.  They  have 
inns  of  their  own,  being  cantankerous  beasts,  and  are 

74 


CAMKI.  INX 


ch.  ix  yoiiniey  into  Shansi  in  1893 

supposed  to  travel  at  nights,  because  of  being  such  an 
obstruction  to  traffic.  Certainly  if  you  lie  awake  you 
can  generally  hear  the  tinkle  of  their  bells.  They  are 
a most  attractive  feature  of  the  landscape  in  the  north, 
whether  seen  in  the  streets  of  Peking,  or  on  the  sandy 
plains  of  Chili.  My  sketch  was  taken  in  the  summer 
when  the  camels  were  changing  their  coats,  so  that 
the  one  in  the  front  has  a grey,  dishevelled  look,  corre- 
sponding with  Mark  Twain’s  description.  He  says 
that  camels  always  look  like  “ second-hand  ” goods  ; 
but  it  is  clear  that  he  cannot  know  the  fine  stately 
beast  of  North  China. 

The  road  leading  to  Taiyiianfu — our  objective — 
was  always  thronged  with  traffic,  men  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  in  chairs,  or  in  carts.  The  official  mes- 
sengers wore  yellow,  and  dashed  along  faster  than  any 
one  else ; but  one  day  we  met  six  mandarins  in  four- 
bearer  chairs,  carrying  an  important  document  from 
the  Emperor  at  Peking  into  Szechwan,  the  western 
province.  They  were  received  everywhere  cere- 
moniously, and  crackers  sent  off  in  their  honour;  they 
were  accompanied  by  a military  escort  and  gorgeous 
banners. 

At  nights  we  often  had  to  put  up  in  wretched  inns. 
The  cold  was  extreme  at  this  time  of  year  (November), 
and  the  brick  bedsteads  were  heated  from  underneath 
by  a fire.  This  was  all  very  well  if  it  was  properly 
regulated,  but  sometimes  it  was  allowed  to  get  too 
hot,  and  then  you  woke  to  find  yourself  baked  like  a 
biscuit.  The  nights  were  short,  for  we  often  arrived 

75 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ix 

after  dark  and  had  to  get  up  at  4.30.  Even  then  it 
was  difficult  to  get  the  men  started  at  six,  sometimes 
only  at  seven  o’clock.  The  clear  cold  moonlight  morn- 
ings were  very  lovely,  and  I was  glad  enough  to  walk 
to  keep  warm. 

One  day  my  brother-in-law  made  a detour  to  visit 
a village  where  there  is  an  interesting  Christian  com- 
munity, whose  history  is  a remarkable  one.  It  was 
the  home  of  a thief,  who  in  his  wanderings  happened 
to  go  into  a mission  hall  and  heard  the  story  of  the 
life  of  Christ.  The  next  time  he  returned  home, 
amongst  other  items  of  news  he  retailed  what  he  could 
remember  of  this  strange  story,  and  so  deeply  interested 
the  listeners  that  they  found  his  knowledge  far  too 
meagre  to  satisfy  them  ; they  decided  to  send  two 
of  their  most  respedted  seniors  to  learn  more  about 
it.  These  men  went  to  the  mission  station,  were 
carefully  instrudted  and  became  Christians.  They 
returned  to  their  village  in  course  of  time,  taking  a 
supply  of  Christian  literature,  and  thenceforward  they 
have  given  themselves  entirely  to  the  work  of  evan- 
gelisation at  their  own  cost.  Occasionally  a missionary 
goes  round  to  see  them — as  in  the  present  instance 
— but  otherwise  they  work  steadily  and  successfully, 
without  any  assistance  from  Europeans.  This  is  an 
example  of  a fadt  which  holds  good  in  China  generally, 
namely,  that  the  people  do  not  leave  mission  work  to 
be  done  only  by  the  missionaries,  but  become  the  best 
workers  themselves  when  they  have  accepted  Chris- 
tianity. What  Mr.  James  (of  the  Bombay  Civil 

76 


ch.  ix  your7iey  mto  Shansi  in  1893 

Service)  says  of  the  work  of  the  Presbyterians  in 
Manchuria  exemplifies  this  same  faft : “ Of  600  people 
who  have  been  baptized  since  Mr.  Ross  came  to  Man- 
churia, not  more  than  a dozen  owe  their  conversion 
primarily  or  chiefly  to  the  foreign  missionaries  ; the 
others  have  become  disciples  of  these  converts,  and 
this  spiritual  seed  has  produced  within  a dozen  years 
the  sixth  or  seventh  generation.”  This  is  the  ex- 
perience of  workers  throughout  the  Empire,  and  was 
expressed  by  a Chinese  lady  visiting  England  in  a 
pathetic  appeal  for  more  missionaries  : “If  only  you 
will  send  us  teachers  no'u: — -for  a few  years — we  will 
do  the  rest.” 

To  return  to  our  narrative,  my  brother-in-law 
brought  the  two  Chinese  elders  with  him  when  he 
rejoined  us  on  the  road,  and  they  greeted  us  like  old 
friends,  with  radiant  happiness.  It  was  inspiring  to 
see  their  simple,  heartfelt  piety  and  their  absolute 
realisation  of  Christian  brotherhood.  We  chanced  to 
come  across  them  again  a year  later  on  my  return 
journey  to  the  coast,  and  again  I saw  their  simple, 
joyous  faith,  the  sincerity  of  which  could  not  be 
doubted  by  the  most  cynical  sceptic.  It  was  the  one 
bright  spot  in  an  otherwise  very  trying  and  anxious 
journey,  for  the  country  was  much  disturbed,  owing 
to  the  war  with  Japan,  and  one  of  our  party  was  ill 
with  fever — a boy  of  seven — and  growing  daily  worse, 
so  that  when  we  at  last  reached  Tientsin  he  had  a 
temperature  of  107°. 

When  we  approached  the  province  of  Shansi  we 

77 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ix 

got  into  a hilly  district,  and  crossed  several  ridges  called 
“ the  Heavenly  Gates.”  In  some  cases  the  ascent  was 
pretty  steep  (2860  feet),  and  there  were  temples  at 
the  bottom  where  the  coolies  prayed  for  a safe  jour- 
ney up.  When  I stopped  to  sketch  it  aroused  much 
interest,  and  spedtators  always  treated  me  with  respedt. 
It  was  explained  to  them  that  I desired  to  show  my 
mother  the  beauties  of  their  country,  so  I became  the 
type  of  English  “filial  piety”  ! 

The  dangers  of  the  road  are  numerous,  and  crossing 
the  rivers  is  often  a very  perilous  proceeding  : some- 
times it  is  possible  to  ford  them,  but  the  river-beds  are 
so  changeable  that  it  was  usually  necessary  to  have  the 
guidance  of  experienced  men.  Sometimes  we  had 
to  be  carried  across  on  men’s  backs,  and  it  is  not 
altogether  a pleasant  experience  to  cling  on  to  a bare, 
greasy  back  in  a kneeling  position,  with  your  arms 
round  a most  unwashed  neck!  Sometimes  we  were 
ferried  over,  which  was  much  the  safest  and  pleasantest 
way  of  crossing,  and  the  charge  is  infinitesimally 
small. 

Another  danger  of  the  road  arises  from  the  nature 
of  the  soil,  which  is  largely  a loess  formation.  The 
road  runs  through  deep  gulleys,  often  over  100  feet 
deep  and  quite  narrow,  but  the  loess  walls  are  apt  to 
give  way,  especially  after  rain.  One  day  we  were 
walking  quietly  along  under  a high  cliff,  when  a 
deafening  thunderclap  close  behind  us  made  us  start 
and  look  back,  to  see  a dense  cloud  of  dust  where 
the  cliff  had  fallen  right  across  the  path  we  had  just 

78 


ch.  ix  yourney  i?ito  Shansi  in  1893 

traversed.  We  had  a very  close  shave  that  time. 
About  a year  later  my  cousin  was  killed  by  the  similar 
breaking  down  of  a road  alongside  a river  ; she  was 
riding  in  a cart,  and  was  buried  under  it  in  the  river. 
A friend  who  was  with  her  had  just  got  out  to  walk 
a little,  and  consequently  escaped. 

During  the  rains  travellers  are  often  drowned  by  the 
sudden  rush  of  water  down  the  gullies,  and  there  are 
places  of  refuge  in  the  high  banks — little  caves  or 
hollows.  In  some  of  the  villages  where  we  had  to 
stop  the  night  the  houses  were  dug  in  these  cliffs,  and 
were  really  caves.  The  smells  were  atrocious,  as  there 
was  but  little  ventilation.  The  chimneys  form  danger 
traps  to  the  unwary  traveller  walking  along  the  top  of 
the  cliffs  ; he  may  easily  step  into  one,  if  he  is  not 
looking  carefully  where  he  is  going. 

The  day  before  we  reached  Tai  Yuanfu,  the  capital 
of  Shansi,  we  stopped  at  a mission  station  in  the 
charge  of  a delightful,  courtly  old  Chinese  evangelist, 
whose  hospitality  I enjoyed  several  times.  He  treated 
us  royally,  cooking  dinner  for  us  in  European  style, 
and  would  have  been  sorely  grieved  had  we  offered 
him  any  remuneration.  When  the  troubles  came 
later,  not  only  he  but  every  member  of  his  little  flock 
— forty-one  in  all — were  “ faithful  unto  death,”  re- 
fusing to  accept  life  at  the  price  of  recantation. 

The  journey  from  the  coast  took  altogether  a fort- 
night, and  I was  glad  when  at  last  we  reached  the 
wide  plain  in  which  Tai  Yuanfu  is  situated.  In  May 
it  is  a vision  of  loveliness  with  its  crops  of  millet, 

79 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  ix 

sorghum,  and  poppy — white  and  puce  colour — but 
now  it  was  one  monotonous  expanse  of  dust.  The 
dust  storms  which  blow  across  the  plain  are  terribly 
trying  ; they  are  as  bewildering  and  as  blinding  as 
a fog,  and  they  sometimes  go  on  daily  for  weeks 
during  the  early  part  of  the  year. 

Shansi  is  one  of  the  worst  provinces  of  all  as  regards 
opium-smoking,  and  the  poppy  is  largely  cultivated. 
In  the  accompanying  sketch  a group  of  patients  is 
seen,  who  have  come  to  a mission  refuge  to  try  and 
break  off  the  habit.  They  are  allowed  to  smoke 
tobacco,  but  are  mostly  resting  or  sleeping  on  the 
khang  ; the  brick  bed  seen  in  every  inn  and  in  most 
private  houses.  On  the  floor  in  front  of  it  is  seen 
a small  round  aperture,  where  the  fire  is  fed,  which 
heats  the  whole  khang.  The  present  Governor  of 
Shansi  is  taking  active  steps  to  put  down  opium  culti- 
vation, and  the  prospedl  seems  hopeful.  Revenons  a 
nos  moutons.  When  we  reached  the  city  gate  there 
was  a slight  delay,  as  carts  are  apt  to  get  jammed  in 
it.  Though  the  gateway  is  large  it  is  considerably 
blocked  by  stones,  set  up  by  a former  governor  to 
prevent  carts  of  above  a certain  gauge  from  enter- 
ing the  city  : this  was  to  encourage  the  trade  of  the 
wheelwrights.  Now  there  is  a railway  right  up  to 
the  walls  of  the  city,  but  from  what  I have  already 
said  it  will  be  easily  understood  how  difficult  a task  it 
has  been  to  construdt  a safe  line.  The  railway  joins 
the  Pehan  line  at  Cheng  Ting. 


8o 


OPIUM  RKFUGE 


CHAPTER  X 

Taiyiianfu 

Taiyuan  is  surrounded  by  a lofty  wall,  with 
a gateway  at  each  of  the  four  points  of  the 
compass.  The  Chinese  always  use  these 
terms  when  we  should  use  “ right  ” and  “ left  ” : they 
speak  of  the  position  of  furniture  in  a room,  for  in- 
stance, as  being  north,  south,  east,  or  west,  and  can 
always  tell  you  the  relative  positions  of  places  and 
things  in  that  way.  It  is  the  seat  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  province,  and  was  the  first  place  in  the 
Empire  to  have  a Western  university  after  the  1900 
troubles. 

The  finest  of  all  its  temples — whether  Confucian, 
Buddhist,  Mohammedan,  or  Taoist — is  the  temple  of 
Heaven  and  Hell.  The  entrance  is  magnificent  in 
colouring,  with  roof  and  walls  covered  with  tur- 
quoise-coloured tiles  peculiar  to  this  province,  which 
make  its  temples  so  much  more  beautiful  than  those 
in  the  west.  There  are  interesting  but  repulsive 
statues  within,  mostly  depicting  the  torments  of  hell. 
In  one  temple,  however,  there  is  a deity  to  which 
childless  women  especially  come  to  pray.  She  is  a 
hideous  figure  about  life  size,  with  a gaping  mouth, 

81  F 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  x 

into  which  they  stuff  raw  eggs  by  way  of  offering. 
On  the  adjoining  wall  is  a fresco  representing  people 
receiving  babies  out  of  a cash-bag  full  of  them,  which 
a man  carries  over  his  shoulder. 

I visited  the  temple  at  the  time  of  a large  fair, 
which  was  held  in  its  courtyards  (a  common  custom 
in  China),  and  had  one  of  the  teachers  in  attendance, 
to  his  great  disgust,  as  it  is  not  the  corredt  thing  for 
Chinese  ladies  to  go  to  fairs,  and  European  manners 
had  not  yet  penetrated  to  this  part  of  the  Empire. 
It  was  a very  fine  sight,  notwithstanding  the  absence 
of  the  elite,  for  the  women  and  children  were  most 
gaily  attired — and  then  the  setting  ! They  were  all 
perfedtly  civil  to  us  and  ready  to  talk.  A woman 
was  feeding  her  five-year-old  baby,  not  yet  weaned. 
Family  parties  kept  arriving  on  donkeys,  and  women 
had  their  feet  tied  up  in  bags  to  protect  their  dainty 
shoes  from  the  dust  of  the  road.  At  one  side  theatri- 
cals were  going  on,  to  a loud  and  ceaseless  accompani- 
ment of  drums.  The  theatres  are  all  connedted  with 
the  temples,  a visible  sign  of  their  origin  in  the  East 
as  well  as  in  the  West  ; and  the  theatre  and  temple 
dues  are  colledted  together.  Adtors  are  looked  down 
on,  and  none  is  allowed  to  compete  in  the  literary 
examinations  ; they  are  in  the  lowest  grade  of  society. 
The  accompanying  sketch  gives  some  idea  of  the 
beautiful  colour  scheme  of  temple  and  theatre  eaves. 
It  is  the  open-air  stage  of  a theatre  at  Showyang, 
about  sixty  miles  from  Taiyuan.  The  little  figures 
of  beasts  on  the  roof  are  a charadferistic  feature. 

82 


THK.VTRE  STAGE 


ch.  X Taiyilanfu 

The  stalls  were  full  of  interesting  objefts  from  all 
parts  of  the  province,  and  we  went  round  buying 
various  things  that  took  our  fancy.  There  were 
handsome  embroideries  and  lovely  silks,  and  I was 
surprised  to  find  that  we  could  take  whatever  we 
liked  without  paying  for  it  ; it  was  sufficient  to  say, 
“ Come  to  the  mission  hospital  to-morrow  and  the 
doctor  will  pay.”  No  Chinaman  could  have  had 
better  credit,  and  few,  I think,  as  good,  in  this  city. 

From  the  temple  of  Heaven  and  Hell  we  returned 
past  the  barracks,  and  saw  the  men  pradtising  walk- 
ing on  stilts  ; apparently  that  was  part  of  their  drill, 
as  finally  they  all  filed  off'  into  the  yard  on  them. 
The  soldiers  are  quite  a decent  set  of  men,  and  one 
of  the  officers  frequently  sent  them  to  the  hospital 
to  be  broken  of  the  opium  habit.  It  is  terribly 
common  here.  In  a neighbouring  town  it  is  esti- 
mated that  90  per  cent,  of  the  population  (men, 
women,  and  children)  are  smokers. 

From  Taiyiianfu  we  made  an  interesting  little  ex- 
cursion to  a place  to  the  south-west  called  Tsinssu, 
where  there  is  a magnificent  old  temple  on  the  rocky 
hillside  dominating  the  village.  The  temple  is  over- 
shadowed by  hoary  trees,  and  has  remarkable  golden 
dragons  twisted  round  the  pillars  of  the  fa9ade.  In 
the  grounds  are  hot  springs,  and  the  water  flows 
under  an  ornamental  bridge  leading  to  the  terrace  on 
which  the  temple  stands.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
hot  water  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  sketch, 
as  the  water  froze  on  the  surface  of  the  paper,  and 

83 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  x 

every  few  minutes  I had  to  put  my  paint-box  in  the 
stream  to  thaw  the  coating  of  ice  formed  on  the 
colours.  The  subject,  however,  was  so  charming 
that  I could  not  waste  the  one  chance  I had  of  sketch- 
ing, and  in  the  afternoon  I made  a rapid  drawing  of 
a pagoda,  with  the  little  bells  hung  on  each  story 
tinkling  in  the  breeze  ; an  adjacent  tower  looked 
precisely  like  an  English  church,  but  its  real  use  was 
as  a granary.  The  hot  springs  are  valuable  in  en- 
abling the  people  to  grow  rice,  which  is  not  grown 
elsewhere  so  far  north,  and  it  is  the  motive-power  of 
many  paper-mills  in  the  distridl.  In  a recent  ex- 
pedition roe-deer,  leopards,  boars,  and  David  squirrels 
have  been  found  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  we  saw 
nothing  more  interesting  than  a beautiful  pastoral 
scene — a shepherd  lad  piping  a melancholy  ditty  to 
his  sheep  under  the  clear  blue  sky.  I should  like  to 
have  sketched  him,  but  the  shadows  were  already 
lengthening,  and  we  had  to  hasten  our  return  before 
the  city  gates  were  closed. 

We  attended  a review  one  day,  and  saw  the  old 
regime  in  its  full  glory,  now  already  a thing  of  the 
past.  We  started  at  7 a.m.  in  the  cart,  and  although 
the  parade-ground  was  only  a quarter  of  a mile  away 
we  were  none  too  early.  The  soldiers  were  already 
mustered,  and  two  gorgeously  arrayed  officials  were 
seated  in  state  under  a canopy  waiting  for  the  Gover- 
nor, with  a fine  sort  of  helmet  on  a stand  behind  them. 
He  arrived  shortly  after  we  did,  and  although  there 
was  a drizzling  rain  the  numberless  banners  looked 

84 


I'ACODA 


ch.  X Taiyua7ifu 

lovely,  bowing  down  while  the  Governor  passed,  and 
then  floating  proudly  up  again.  Many  of  them  were 
pale-blue  silk  and  carried  on  long  bamboo  rods.  There 
were  a good  many  soldiers  mounted  on  smart  ponies 
that  scampered  along  bravely  ; but  the  black  turbans 
surmounting  the  blue  or  red  uniforms  made  them  look 
rather  like  women.  Some  of  them  were  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows,  slung  on  their  backs  ; others  had 
prehistoric  guns  which  required  two  men  to  work 
them,  one  to  hold  and  the  other  to  fire  off  by  means 
of  a lighted  stick  of  incense,  which  at  other  times  was 
thrust  (lighted)  into  the  soldier’s  chest,  where  also  he 
carried  his  powder  ! 

One  regiment  was  a great  contrast  to  the  others — 
the  celebrated  tiger  braves.  They  were  clad  cap-a- 
pie  in  yellow  cloth  striped  with  black,  even  the  boots 
and  cap  being  of  the  same  material.  The  latter 
was  most  cunningly  made,  with  little  pink-lined 
ears  which  stood  eredt,  and  ferocious  black  eyes,  and 
white  fangs,  and  a red  tongue  hanging  out.  This 
alarming  costume  was  supposed  to  render  all  further 
equipment  unnecessary,  and  I asked  one  of  the 
“ braves  ” if  he  had  no  weapon,  on  which  he 
showed  me  merely  an  ordinary  knife  stuck  in  his 
waistband.  I asked  if  he  would  sell  me  his  uniform, 
but  as  he  could  not  do  that  he  lent  it,  and  I 
had  an  exadt  copy  made.  On  my  return  home 
Mr.  Chamberlain  saw  it,  and  was  struck  with  the 
idea  that  the  braves  scared  away  the  enemy  by 
their  uniform  and  their  roaring,  and  made  a telling 

85 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  x 

use  of  it  later  on  in  describing  the  tadlics  of  “ the 
opposition  ” ! 

Yet  a step  farther  back  in  history,  it  is  interesting 
to  learn  how  the  soldiers  used  to  travel  in  earlier 
times.  A model  has  recently  been  construdted  (by 
Professor  Hopkinson)  of  the  chariot  used  to  convey 
eighteen  soldiers.  This  chariot  was  in  use  about  a 
thousand  years  ago  in  China,  and  registered  distance, 
a gong  sounding  at  the  end  of  every  “ li  ” (about  one- 
third  of  a mile),  and  a bell  at  the  end  of  every  ten 
“li.”  This  vehicle  was  called  the  “measure-mile 
drum  carriage,”  and  it  is  from  the  description  of  the 
mechanism  given  in  the  writings  of  the  period  that 
the  professor  has  made  his  model.  An  ode  was 
written  in  its  honour.  The  chariot  was  drawn  by 
four  horses. 

The  main  features  of  the  review  were  the  sword 
exercises,  varied  with  turning  somersaults,  the  charg- 
ing of  soldiers  with  two-pronged  pikes,  accompanied 
by  roaring — and  various  feats  of  horsemanship.  The 
men  rode  about  clinging  to  their  horses  from  under- 
neath, or  jumped  on  them  going  at  full  gallop.  The 
review  lasted  all  day,  and  we  got  tired  long  before  it 
was  over.  The  military  examinations  of  officers  were 
on  the  old  lines,  and  success  in  getting  promotion  de- 
pended on  the  strength  shown  in  drawing  a bow,  or 
lifting  a weight.  Two  officers  came  to  hospital  for 
treatment  on  account  of  having  overstrained  them- 
selves by  their  exertions,  and  were  anxious  lest  they 
should  be  disqualified  in  consequence.  Now  every- 

86 


TIGER  liKAVE 


ch.  X 


thing  is  changed.  There  are  military  colleges  spring- 
ing up,  where  everything  is  modelled  on  the  military 
systems  of  the  West,  and  students  go  in  increasing 
numbers  to  Europe  to  study  these  at  first  hand.  The 
Ministry  of  War  has  decided  to  adopt  the  same 
gradations  of  rank  as  those  of  the  British  army  and 
navy  respectively  ; thus  a second  lieutenant  in  the 
navy  will  be  of  equal  rank  with  a senior  lieutenant 
in  the  army,  and  so  on.  In  the  past,  military  service 
was  one  of  the  two  only  ways  in  which  it  was  possible 
in  China  to  climb  the  social  ladder. 

In  September  1904  I saw  one  of  the  last  great 
triennial  examinations,  to  which  students  came  from 
all  parts  of  the  province.  It  opened  with  a great 
procession,  headed  by  the  Governor  and  examiners 
who  had  come  from  Peking.  Some  of  the  big  men 
rode  in  chairs,  preceded  by  scarlet  umbrellas,  and  boys 
carrying  boards  enjoining  silence,  many  banners  and 
discordant  drums.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  rag-tag  and 
bobtail  of  the  city  had  been  collected  to  grace  the 
occasion  ; they  were  decked  out  in  magenta  felt  hats 
and  scarlet  cloaks  which  by  no  means  covered  their 
rags  and  dirt.  Some  wore  scarlet  and  gilt,  others 
green  and  gilt  caps,  but  no  shoes  on  their  feet.  The 
three  principal  men  were  carried  on  chairs,  raised  on 
little  platforms  and  covered  with  yellow  rugs,  supposed 
to  represent  the  imperial  dragon.  The  imperial  letters 
were  carried  (wrapped  in  yellow  cloth)  across  the 
shoulders  of  men  on  horseback,  and  the  imperial  seals 
under  gay  canopies.  The  examination  buildings  are 

87 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  x 

extensive,  and  are  well  seen  from  the  city  wall.  There 
are  10,000  cells,  arranged  in  rows  of  100  each  in  alleys 
closed  by  a door.  Each  cell  is  about  6 feet  high, 
4 feet  wide,  and  5 feet  deep,  and  is  provided  with  a 
sliding  seat  and  a board  for  writing  on,  which  the 
student  can  slide  into  the  same  groove  as  the  seat  to 
curl  up  on  at  night,  for  he  has  to  spend  three  days  and 
nights  without  leaving  it.  The  cell  is  open  in  front, 
and  an  invigilator  walks  up  and  down  to  see  that  no 
cheating  goes  on.  If  the  student  is  taken  ill  he  may 
not  leave,  and  if  he  dies  (not  an  infrequent  occurrence 
at  examination  times)  his  body  is  simply  put  over  the 
wall  at  the  outside  end  of  the  alley.  These  examina- 
tions are  competitive,  and  there  may  be  only  thirty 
or  forty  vacancies  for  thousands  of  students.  At 
Canton  there  are  25,000  cells  in  the  examination 
hall,  and  each  province  has  its  own  examination, 
to  which  students  of  other  provinces  may  not 
come.  There  are  characters  at  the  end  of  the  rows 
of  cells,  drawn  from  one  of  the  classics,  which  are 
used  as  numerals,  to  distinguish  the  rows  from  one 
another. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  what  supreme  importance 
is  attached  by  the  Chinese  to  learning  and  to  morals. 
Learning  is  the  main  road  to  eminence  ; the  only  other 
one — the  military  service — is  quite  subsidiary.  The 
highest  grade  of  the  people  is  the  Sze,  the  scholar,  and 
from  it  all  public  servants  are  drawn.  There  is  no  bar 
to  prevent  men  of  other  grades  passing  into  this  class, 
provided  they  fit  themselves  to  do  so  and  pass  the 

88 


ch.  X Taiyilanfu 

necessary  examinations.  There  are  six  examinations 
possible. 

The  first  examination  is  held  yearly  by  the  district 
magistrate  ; it  lasts  for  three  days,  and  the  candidate 
has  to  write  two  essays,  one  on  poetry.  The  second 
examination  is  held  (generally  a few  months  later)  in 
a prefedlural  town,  and  is  therefore  called  Fu  Kau,  or 
country  examination.  The  students  who  pass  this 
examination  are  called  Shu  Tsai.  The  third  examina- 
tion (only  open  to  those  who  have  passed  the  previous 
one)  is  the  triennial  one,  which  takes  place  in  the 
capital  of  each  province,  as  above  described,  and  is 
called  the  Ju  Jen  degree.  This  time  the  candidate  has 
to  write  several  more  essays  than  for  the  Shu  Tsai 
degree  ; the  quality  most  valued  in  these  essays  is  skill 
in  quotation,  both  as  to  the  number  of  quotations  made 
from  the  classics  and  the  way  in  which  they  are  com- 
bined— this  might  aptly  be  compared  to  a string  of 
pearls.  The  candidates  who  obtain  the  JuJen  degree  are 
alone  eligible  for  the  degree  of  Tsin  Sze.  This  fourth 
examination  takes  place  triennially  at  Peking.  The 
candidate  is  confined  for  nine  days  in  a small  compart- 
ment in  the  examination  building.  No  matter  how 
great  the  discomfort  of  this  confinement  may  be,  he 
has  to  write  nine  essays.  I obtained  the  most  fasci- 
nating little  crib  containing  the  whole  classics,  not 
larger  than  one  inch  square,  which  would  offer  a severe 
temptation  under  such  circumstances  to  the  most  con- 
scientious student  ! If  the  candidate  is  successful  with 
his  nine  essays  he  receives  the  title  of  Tsin  Sze,  but  if 

89 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  x 

not,  he  may  be  appointed  to  a clerkship  of  a more  or 
less  important  nature,  according  to  the  merit  of  his 
essays. 

Ayet  higher  degree  may  be  obtained  called  the  Tien 
Sze,  because  it  is  held  in  one  of  the  buildings  of  the 
Imperial  Palace.  The  student  at  the  head  of  the  list 
is  called  Cheong  Yuan  ; the  second  is  Paun  Yien  ; the 
third  is  called  Tua  Hwa,  and  the  fourth  Chuan  Lo 
To.  Their  official  title,  which  is  also  given  to  other 
successful  candidates  in  this  examination,  is  Han  Lin 
Yuan  Shu  Chi  Sze,  and  they  are  obliged  to  study  for 
the  next  three  years  at  the  Han  Lin  Yuan  for  the  next 
examination.  The  successful  candidates  are  retained 
at  the  Han  Lin,  and  the  unsuccessful  ones  receive 
posts  of  lesser  importance,  such  as  magistracies  and 
other  civil  appointments.  They  are  considered  to  have 
a first  claim  to  all  such  appointments.i 

This  old  examination  system  is  being  replaced  by 
one  in  which  Western  subjedls  are  to  a large  extent 
taking  the  place  of  the  classics.  Since  1904  the  de- 
grees of  the  Ju  Jen  and  Han  Lin  have  been  granted 
in  this  way  to  students  educated  abroad  and  examined 
on  their  return  to  China.  At  the  present  time  there 
are  about  300  Chinese  students  in  England,  studying 
mainly  law,  medicine,  engineering,  and  manufadlures: 
some  are  still  in  public  schools,  grammar  schools,  &c.; 
others  are  at  the  English  or  Scotch  universities. 

In  the  accompanying  sketch  of  a scholar,  the  gold 

* For  these  details  I am  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Ivan  Chen,  of  the 
Imperial  Chinese  Legation. 


90 


SOUTHERN  SERVANT  SCHOLAR 


square  worn  on  the  chest  and  a corresponding  one  on 
the  back  are  equivalent  to  the  hoods  granted  by  our 
universities,  and  the  different  designs  on  them  indicate 
the  kind  of  degree.  Wives  of  scholars  have  also  the 
right  to  wear  the  same  insignia  as  their  husbands. 

The  city  of  Taiyiianfu  as  described  in  this  chapter 
is  already  a thing  of  the  past.  Now  a railway  comes  to 
its  very  gates.  New  European-looking  buildings  are 
springing  up  in  every  direction  ; the  streets  are  being 
widened  and  properly  paved,  officials  drive  about  in 
smart  broughams,  and  there  is  a daily  delivery  of  letters 
instead  of  a private  post  once  a fortnight. 

I return  to  Tientsin  and  take  up  the  thread  of  my 
narrative  in  1907.  No  sooner  had  we  arrived  there 
than  a Chinese  friend,  clad  in  a beautiful  maize- 
coloured  silk  gown,  came  to  call.  He  had  come  from 
Peking  expressly  to  meet  us,  and  escorted  us  there  next 
day,  being  an  old  friend  of  my  Taiyiianfu  days.  We 
were  seen  off  in  the  Chinese  railway  (so  much  prefer- 
able to  the  German  and  Belgian  lines)  next  day  by 
one  of  the  diredlors,  who  had  kindly  ordered  a special 
reserved  carriage  for  us.  A few  hours  of  pleasant 
travel,  with  tea  served  on  board,  brought  us  to  the 
special  goal  of  our  ambition — Peking. 


91 


CHAPTER  XI 


Peking 


WE  reached  Peking  after  dark,  which  was 
fortunate,  as  the  glamour  of  all  one’s  youth- 
ful dreams  was  not  at  once  dispelled  by 
being  brought  face  to  face  with  the  prosaic  European 
Legations  which  lie  just  within  the  gates.  At  the  rail- 
way station,  which  is  close  to  the  great  gate  leading 
to  the  Summer  Palace,  we  emerged  into  a shouting, 
jostling  Chinese  crowd,  and  were  put  into  rickshas  by 
the  friends — Chinese  and  American — who  had  come 
to  meet  us.  Police  were  keeping  order  after  a fashion 
most  necessary,  for  I saw  a pushing  fellow  seize  an 
unlucky  man  who  was  having  a dispute  and  fling  his 
ricksha  to  the  ground  as  if  it  were  a dirty  rag.  When 
we  and  our  luggage  had  been  safely  packed  into  a 
ricksha  we  were  swiftly  drawn  over  the  most  shock- 
ing roads,  through  the  great  gloomy  gates,  into  the 
city.  Everywhere  we  seemed  surrounded  by  towering 
walls  of  vast  thickness.  Over  the  chief  gateway  is  a 
large  temple  containing  the  tutelary  deities,  which 
may  give  some  idea  of  this  thickness.  It  rises  tier 
above  tier  and  is  painted  a beautiful  Venetian  red, 
and  the  tiles  are  a bright  blue-green  ; the  overhang- 

92 


ch.  xi  Peking 

ing  eaves  are  of  carved  woodwork,  painted  blue  and 
green  and  gold.  Opposite  this  entrance  is  that  of 
the  imperial  palace,  above  which  one  sees  its  orange- 
coloured  tiles.  From  the  top  of  the  wall  one  gets  a 
fine  view  of  the  long  approach  to  the  palace,  gateway 
beyond  gateway,  in  true  Chinese  style,  and  stretching 
on  every  side  an  endless  vista  of  trees  and  roofs  of  the 
city.  Formerly  this  was  a favourite  point  tie  vue  for 
watching  royalties  when  they  drove  out,  but  now 
no  one  is  allowed  to  do  this,  and  notice  is  sent  to  the 
various  embassies  requesting  foreigners  to  stay  indoors 
when  the  royal  family  is  taking  an  airing  ! 

From  the  great  gate  eastward,  part  of  the  wall  was 
held  during  the  siege  by  the  Americans,  aided  by 
twenty  British  and  twenty  Russian  soldiers.  One 
morning  they  awoke  to  find  that  during  the  night 
the  Chinese  had  built  a tower  on  it,  of  about  twenty 
feet  high,  overlooking  them.  All  the  next  day  they 
had  to  lie  close  under  their  criss-cross  defences,  but 
it  was  clear  that  unless  the  tower  were  seized  the 
Chinese  would  soon  be  masters  of  the  situation. 
Captain  Myers  planned  its  capture,  inviting  volun- 
teers to  help  him,  and  naturally  the  twenty  British 
soldiers  responded  promptly.  It  was  arranged  that 
the  Americans  and  British  should  get  round  it  from 
the  outer  side  of  the  wall,  and  the  Russians  join  them 
from  the  inner  side.  When  the  time  came  for  the 
plan  to  be  carried  out  it  was  quite  successful,  except 
for  the  fadt  that  no  Russians  took  part  in  it,  and  that 
Captain  Myers  was  severely  wounded.  As  we  stood 

93 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xi 

listening  to  the  story  from  one  of  the  besieged  we 
saw  a touching  scene  in  the  American  barracks  below 
us.  A man  entered  carrying  home  mails,  and  shouted 
out  the  fadt.  In  a moment  men  came  flying  from 
every  quarter  of  the  hitherto  empty  yard  with  hands 
outstretched  ; one  could  almost  see  the  throb  of  delight 
with  which  the  letters  were  seized.  But  this  was  in 
time  of  peace,  and  we  could  but  dimly  realise  what 
far  greater  excitement  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of  a 
messenger  from  Tientsin  during  the  siege,  after  the 
sickening  suspense  of  hope  deferred.  How  deadly 
must  have  been  the  disappointment  when  the  brief 
message  ran  that  help  was  coming,  but  not  a word  as 
to  when^  merely  the  egoistic  remark  that  in  Tientsin 
they  also  had  been  besieged  ! 

My  sketch  is  taken  on  the  top  of  the  wall,  and 
shows  the  part  held  by  the  Americans  : it  extends 
from  the  spot  where  I was  standing  as  far  as  the 
building  over  the  great  gate,  and  the  embassies  are 
close  below  the  wall  on  the  right-hand  side. 

The  accounts  of  the  siege  which  we  heard  from  all 
those  who  had  lived  through  it  agreed  in  one  respedt 
— the  singular  defencelessness  of  the  besieged,  and 
the  ease  with  which  they  might  have  been  wiped 
out — leading  one  to  conceive  the  probability  of  what 
a Chinese  resident  told  me,  that  their  commander-in- 
chief determined  that  this  should  not  be  done.  The 
time  that  followed  the  siege  seems  to  have  been  really 
in  many  ways  worse  than  the  siege  itself  for  those 
who  remained  in  Peking. 

94 


ch.  xi  Peking 

Far  the  most  impressive  monument  here  is  the  altar 
of  Heaven,  which  lies  at  a short  distance  outside  the 
inner  city  in  an  ancient  park,  surrounded  by  a high 
wall.  Passing  through  a simple  doorway,  you  drive 
in  your  ricksha  up  an  avenue  of  acacias  for  a short  dis- 
tance till  you  come  to  another  wall,  and  here  you  must 
get  out  before  entering  the  inner  park.  The  trees 
were  already  beginning  to  look  autumnal  (November) 
as  we  made  our  way  across  the  coarse  grass  into  another 
high-walled  enclosure,  surrounded  by  a moat  ; we  had 
to  knock  for  admittance  to  a large  courtyard,  where 
the  Emperor  spends  the  night  once  a year  before  offer- 
ing the  great  national  sacrifice  to  Heaven.  All  the 
roofs  of  the  buildings  round  the  courtyard  were  of 
brilliant  green  tiles,  and  contrasted  beautifully  with 
the  marble  terrace,  balustrades,  and  bridges.  From 
here  the  Emperor  goes  at  5.30  a.m.,  accompanied  by 
his  courtiers,  to  the  great  marble  altar  of  Heaven,  about 
one-fifth  of  a mile  distant  across  the  park.  Fine  stone 
pylons  lead  to  the  altar,  but  the  paths  are  overgrown 
with  grass,  and  there  is  a look  of  desolation  brooding 
over  the  place.  The  altar  is  a high  circular  platform 
of  marble,  with  three  short  flights  of  steps  leading  up 
from  each  of  the  four  points  of  the  compass.  The 
Emperor  ascends  these  steps,  accompanied  by  his 
courtiers,  but  only  those  over  seventy  years  of  age 
may  go  up  the  top  flight  and  remain  with  him  while 
he  kneels  in  the  centre,  under  the  vault  of  Heaven, 
to  offer  his  sacrificial  prayer.  No  spedfator  is  ever 
allowed  to  be  present.  At  the  foot  of  the  steps  the 

95 


The  Face  of  Chma  ch.  xi 

sacrifice  is  offered,  but  the  Emperor  is  no  longer 
obliged  to  slay  the  bullock  himself,  as  in  the  old  days. 
This  adl  is  delegated  to  a high  official.  The  sacrificial 
beasts  are  reared  and  kept  in  the  surrounding  park. 
Twelve  bales  of  cloth  are  burnt  in  great  braziers  as  an 
offering  to  Heaven  ; they  are  placed  at  short  distances 
from  one  another,  and  each  time  there  is  a new 
emperor  a new  brazier  is  eredted.  Everything  is 
round,  as  being  emblematic  of  Heaven,  while  in  the 
temple  to  Earth  everything  is  square,  because  the 
earth  is  supposed  to  be  square,  and  in  the  latter  the 
sacrifices  are  buried  instead  of  being  burnt,  so  that 
they  may  go  down  instead  of  up  ! 

Close  to  the  altar  of  Heaven  is  a small  round  en- 
closure containing  a temple  roofed  with  gorgeous 
lapis-lazuli  blue  tiles,  like  the  adjoining  temple  of 
Heaven,  which  is  eredted  on  a marble  platform  exadtly 
similar  to  the  altar  of  Heaven. 

There  are  two  particularly  fine  Buddhist  temples  at 
Peking,  one  outside  and  the  other  inside  the  walls,  the 
former  being  a monastic  establishment  and  swarming 
with  degraded-looking  monks.  It  has  the  imperial 
double-storied  roofs  of  a noble  orange  colour,  and  it 
was  a pidluresque  sight  to  see  the  orange-robed  monks 
trooping  into  the  courtyard  to  evening  prayer.  There 
were  many  young  boys  amongst  them,  probably  sent 
from  Manchuria  as  a thank-offering  for  the  recovery 
of  a father  from  severe  illness,  and  consequently 
doomed  to  a life  of  idleness  and  ignorance.  The 
Buddhist  monks  are  notorious  in  this  city  for  their  low 

96 


TKMI'I.K  OK  HKAVKN 


ch.  xi  Peking 

morals,  and  the  signs  of  it  are  unmistakably  stamped 
upon  their  faces  ; they  do  no  work  of  any  kind,  and 
live  upon  the  alms  given  by  worshippers  or  which 
they  have  begged,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  order. 
It  is  comic  to  see  the  Buddhist  monks  strutting  along 
under  huge  orange  umbrellas,  nose  in  air,  followed 
by  a servant  carrying  the  compulsory  begging  bowl  ! 
The  head  of  the  monastery  is  an  incarnate  Buddha. 
In  the  chief  temple  of  this  monastery  is  a gigantic 
standing  figure  of  Buddha,  and  you  can  go  up  a stair- 
case to  inspeft  the  head,  which  is  otherwise  hardly 
visible  in  the  gloom  of  the  lofty  building,  whose  only 
light  comes  from  the  doorway.  In  the  smaller  build- 
ings are  other  Buddhas  of  various  kinds,  and  the 
Bodhisatwa,  the  looo-handed  goddess  Kwanyin. 

In  the  Lama  temple,  three  miles  outside  the  city, 
there  are  figures  of  the  goddess  of  mercy,  beside  the 
three  seated  Buddhas,  and  she  is  to  be  found  in  many 
of  the  temples.  She  was  originally  a man,  but  had 
the  heart  of  a woman  ! Here  we  were  dreadfully 
pestered  by  dirty  children,  whom  the  priest  tried  in- 
effedtually  to  keep  in  order.  Each  courtyard  we  came 
to  had  to  be  unlocked,  but  he  always  let  them  pass 
through  with  us,  clamouring  for  money.  The  great 
feature  of  the  yellow  temple  is  a marble  monument  to 
the  memory  of  a lama  who  came  from  Tibet  and  died 
of  smallpox.  It  is  composed  of  white  marble,  and  the 
centre  has  a fine  series  of  carvings  round  it  illustrating 
scenes  from  the  life  of  the  Buddha.  Unfortunately, 
after  the  siege  of  Peking  French  soldiers  were  quartered 

97  G 


li’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xi 

here,  and  they  are  said  to  have  amused  themselves  by 
knocking  off  the  head  of  every  single  figure.  The 
effeft  of  the  white  marble  and  gold  in  the  midst  of 
hoary  cypresses  is  very  fine.  This  is  where  the  Dalai 
Lama  was  lodged  during  his  stay  in  Peking.^  It  must 
have  been  a picturesque  scene  on  his  arrival,  when 
he  entered  the  sacred  precinCts,  passing  between  two 
long  rows  of  yellow-clad  monks.  Would  that  we 
had  been  there  to  see  it,  instead  of  at  such  a dreary 
season  ! We  had  come  in  the  face  of  considerable 
difficulties,  but  it  was  well  worth  while  ; the  wind 
blowing  when  we  started  in  rickshas  soon  developed 
into  a typical  Chili  dust-storm,  and  soon  after  leaving 
the  city  the  men  declared  they  could  go  no  further. 
Having  no  other  chance  of  visiting  the  place,  we 
determined  not  to  be  baulked  and  set  out  on  foot. 
We  struggled  bravely  forward  through  stinging, 
blinding  dust  till  we  got  under  the  lee  of  its  high 
wall.  The  return  journey  was  not  so  bad,  as  the  wind 
was  behind  us,  and  we  could  enjoy  watching  other 
passengers  whom  we  met  in  the  city  lying  as  flat  as 
they  could  in  rickshas,  and  with  handkerchiefs  spread 
over  their  faces.  We  were  almost  unrecognisable 
when  we  got  in,  and  it  was  a well-nigh  hopeless 
task  to  get  rid  of  the  dust  from  hair  and  clothes. 

For  once  a Chinese  cart  seemed  a desirable  thing, 
and  we  were  glad  to  find  one  waiting  to  take  us  to  a 


' The  late  Dowager  Empress  conferred  on  him  the  title  of  “Sincere  and 
loyal  Spreader  of  Civilization,”  in  addition  to  his  old  title  of  “The  great, 
righteous,  and  complacent  Buddha  of  Western  Heavens.” 

98 


ch.  xi  Peking 

Chinese  friend’s  house,  where  we  were  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  our  time  at  Peking.  The  streets  are  broad 
and  fairly  well  policed,  but  their  roughness  is  extra- 
ordinary, and  when  you  sit  cross-legged  in  the  place  of 
honour  at  the  back  of  a springless  cart  you  are  tossed 
from  side  to  side  like  a ball,  and  your  head  bumped 
unmercifully,  till  you  have  learned  how  to  avoid  it. 
You  get  much  more  exercise  than  if  you  walk  ; the 
only  compensation  is  that  you  know  you  are  doing  the 
correct  thing.  Our  host,  who  is  a successful  young 
do(51:or,  explained  that  he  was  obliged  to  go  in  a cart 
to  visit  high-class  patients,  instead  of  on  his  bicycle, 
though  it  took  up  a great  deal  more  time. 

We  were  glad  to  have  a Chinaman  to  take  us  shop- 
ping, for  our  mouths  watered  to  see  the  attractive 
things  in  the  native  shops.  The  minute  that  a Euro- 
pean enters,  up  go  the  prices  to  at  least  double,  if 
not  treble;  so  we  had  an  amusing  but  not  very  suc- 
cessful time  in  them.  Our  kind  host  could  not  bear 
to  see  us  being  cheated,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  I persuaded  him  to  get  me  a black 
spotted  leopard-skin  coat  lined  with  lovely  blue  silk, 
on  which  I had  set  my  heart,  as  the  shopman  refused 
to  come  down  to  what  he  considered  a reasonable  price. 
He  begged  us  to  let  him  in  future  get  what  we  wanted 
and  have  the  things  brought  to  his  house  for  inspec- 
tion : the  main  difficulty  lay  in  the  faCt  that  we  did 
not  know  what  we  wanted, for  the  most  part ; but  about 
one  thing  I had  no  doubt,  and  that  was  specimens  of 
the  noted  nail  paintings.  There  was  only  one  cele- 

99 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xi 

brated  artist,  and  he  was  about  to  retire  to  his  native 
province  of  Szchuan,but  by  great  good  luck  we  secured 
a book  containing  nine  paintings  done  with  the  finger- 
nail, and  two  white  silk  scrolls.  The  designs  are 
excellent,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  any  difference  from 
that  of  a brush  in  execution.  The  book  is  bound  in 
Chinese  style,  simply  between  two  wooden  boards, 
with  a plain  band  of  gold  running  down  one  side  for 
about  three-quarters  of  its  length,  but  no  title  on  it. 

A comparison  between  Chinese  and  Japanese  art 
shows  plainly  their  close  connexion,  and  if  the 
Japanese  excel  in  certain  qualities,  they  have  not  the 
virility  which  charafterises  the  Chinese,  from  whom 
all  their  art  is  derived.  It  was  towards  the  close  of 
the  fourth  century  a.d.  that  a systematic  criticism  of 
art  and  a history  of  painters  was  begun  in  China.  The 
canons  of  pidtorial  art  were  laid  down,  and  it  will  help 
us  to  understand  and  appreciate  Chinese  art  better  if 
we  remember  that  the  first  and  most  important  of  their 
six  canons  is  “the  Life  movement  of  the  Spirit  through 
the  Rhythm  of  Things.”  Though  their  art  is  mainly 
decorative,  it  possesses  marvellous  vitality  and  poetic 
imagination.  At  the  Chinese  Court  there  were  fifteen 
artists  in  attendance,  ready  to  depidt  anything  that  the 
Dowager  Empress  might  wish  to  have  painted. 

A distinguished  lady,  closely  allied  to  the  Empress, 
kindly  gave  me  a sitting  one  morning  ; but  as  she  was 
at  the  time  exempted  from  attendance  at  Court  on  ac- 
count of  ill-health,  she  was  unable'to  wear  full  dress — 
namely,  the  large  Manchu  coiffure — which  is  so  heavy 

lOO 


M.l  .10  Ail\  I \ I\ Dl.I.IO  W 


ch.  xi  Peking 

that  the  Empress  decided  to  allow  it  to  be  replaced  by 
large  black,  satin  bows.  It  is  difficult  to  fasten  the 
framework  securely  to  the  head,  over  which  the  hair 
is  arranged,  so  the  coiffure  is  usually  made  with  false 
hair,  and  it  is  funny  to  see  withered  old  hags  in  the 
streets  wearing  these,  with  a large  flower  stuck  jauntily 
at  the  side.  I found  my  sitter  a very  difficult  one  to 
paint,  as  she  was  heavily  painted  (in  a different  sense), 
and  the  square  scarlet  under-lip  and  absence  of  line 
in  the  upper  eyelid  gave  a wooden  expression  to  the 
whole  face,  which  was  unusually  large,  and  surmounted 
by  a perfect  flower-bed.  It  would  have  been  easier  to 
express  the  dignity  of  her  carriage  had  she  been  stand- 
ing, but  although  she  offered  to  do  so,  I felt  it  was 
impossible  to  take  advantage  of  her  good-nature  when 
I knew  she  was  ill.  Her  hands  were  slender  and 
beautifully  shaped,  but  she  wore  no  rings  ; her  feet 
were  very  small  and  shod  in  artistically  embroidered 
Manchu  shoes  with  white  soles — nearly  two  inches 
thick  (the  Manchus  never  bind  their  feet).  Un- 
fortunately, the  handsome  heliotrope  gown  and  short 
jacket  were  trimmed  with  European  braid,  and  owing 
to  the  cold  weather  they  were  wadded,  which  lends  a 
clumsy  appearance  to  the  whole  figure.  Her  charm- 
ing little  black  pug  belongs  to  the  celebrated  palace 
breed. 

It  was  not  till  after  we  had  enjoyed  tea  and  cakes 
that  I was  allowed  to  begin  the  portrait ; and  the 
prince  came  in  to  make  our  acquaintance,  so  that  a 
good  deal  of  time  was  taken  up,  and  I was  only  able 

lOI 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xi 

to  make  a hasty  sketch,  to  be  finished  later  on.  Then 
the  lady  said  we  must  certainly  be  hungry  and  insisted 
on  our  stopping  to  dinner,  saying  she  herself  was  very 
hungry — how  much  more  so  must  we  be,  who  had 
worked  while  she  did  nothing.  My  friend  protested 
that  she  had  done  nothing  at  all,  being  reduced  to 
silence  by  her  ignorance  of  the  language,  to  which 
came  the  charming  retort,  “ You  will  be  fatigued, 
then,  by  your  good  intentions  ! ” All  our  protests  as  to 
other  engagements  were  overruled,  and  we  sat  down, 
at  the  other  end  of  the  room  from  where  we  had  been 
sitting  before,  to  a sumptuous  repast,  consisting  of 
every  kind  of  meat  and  vegetable,  served  in  small 
pieces  in  innumerable  little  dishes.  In  the  centre  of 
the  table  there  was  a charming  set  of  nine  dishes, 
which  are  generally  used  for  sweetmeats,  but  which 
our  hostess  had  thought  would  be  equally  nice  for 
meat — an  innovation  we  thoroughly  appreciated,  as 
they  looked  so  much  prettier  than  separate  ones. 
From  these  dishes  we  were  continually  helped  to  cold 
chicken,  duck,  sausage,  pigeons,  eggs,  ham,  and  other 
less  recognisable  dainties.  Round  these  were  more 
dishes  of  hot  vegetables,  pickled  meat  and  vegetable, 
rissoles,  fried  meat  balls,  stewed  meat,  cabbage  and 
meat,  &c.,  &c.,  from  all  of  which  our  hostess  con- 
tinued to  serve  us  with  her  own  chop-sticks,  eating 
but  little  herself,  according  to  the  Chinese  etiquette. 
We  were  given  spoons  and  forks,  as  she  shrewdly 
suspected  our  inability  to  wield  chop-sticks.  Little 
bowls  of  rice  were  also  handed  round,  and  as  soon  as 


102 


ch.  xi  Peking 

we  stopped  eating  she  did  the  same.  Next  came 
bowls  of  soup,  each  containing  two  eggs,  and  this  con- 
cluded the  solid  part  of  the  feast  ; as  soon  as  we  had 
retired  to  the  other  end  of  the  room  tea  was  brought, 
with  preserved  crab-apples,  apple  jam,  and  pea-nuts. 
Part  of  the  dinner,  we  were  told,  was  prepared  by  men 
and  part  by  women  cooks. 

Before  we  took  leave  the  children  came  in  to 
be  introduced.  All  the  young  people  are  learning 
English,  and  shook  hands  in  English  style — namely, 
with  WJ-,  instead  of  with  themselves.  Many  polite 
questions  were  asked  as  to  our  families,  our  clothes, 
and  the  price  of  the  Viennese  gown  I was  wearing, 
and  my  amethyst  pendant.  Silk  is  considered  the 
only  material  for  a handsome  dress  in  China,  and 
precious  stones  are  practically  unknown,  jade  being 
the  only  one  worn. 

Finally  we  made  our  adieux,  accompanied  to  the 
outermost  courtyard  by  our  kind  hostess  ; and  the  next 
day  she  sent  me  a fascinating  assortment  of  Chinese 
paints,  each  done  up  separately  in  the  neatest  little 
parcel,  containing  either  a bottle  or  a little  box.  We 
came  away  much  impressed  by  the  indescribable 
charm  of  Chinese  manners,  and  many  a time  after- 
wards I felt  how  gauche  we  were  in  comparison. 
We  drove  away  in  our  cart  for  politeness’  sake,  but 
a short  ride  in  it  after  such  a feast  would  have  had 
disastrous  consequences,  so  we  quickly  transferred  our- 
selves to  rickshas  as  soon  as  we  were  out  of  sight  of 
the  palace. 


103 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xi 

It  would  be  wearisome  to  the  reader  to  describe 
all  the  interesting  places  we  saw  in  Peking,  but  there 
is  still  one  that  I must  mention — the  Hall  of  the 
Classics.  It  is  the  centre  of  the  great  examination 
system  of  the  past,  and  probably  will  never  again  have 
its  old  importance.  Here  the  final  examination  took 
place  of  all  the  students,  from  every  part  of  the  vast 
Empire,  who  had  succeeded  in  passing  all  other 
examinations.  The  Emperor  himself  presided,  and 
received  the  homage  of  successful  candidates,  seated 
upon  a handsome  carved  throne.  Round  the  walls 
of  the  great  court  are  tablets  on  which  are  inscribed 
the  whole  of  the  classics.  The  old  examination 
system  has  been  abolished,  and  already  at  Peking  the 
very  building  where  the  provincial  examinations  were 
held  has  been  destroyed. 

Before  leaving  Peking  our  host  introduced  us  to  the 
friend  whom  he  had  found  to  adf  as  our  interpreter 
during  our  long  journey  from  north-east  to  south-west 
of  the  Empire,  Mr.  Ku  was  a young  man  of  official 
family,  who  had  been  trained  at  St.  John’s  College, 
Shanghai,  and  spoke  English  well.  He  was  essen- 
tially a scholar,  of  gentle  and  amiable  manners,  honour- 
able and  guileless.  During  our  five  months  together 
we  never  found  him  lacking  in  tadf  or  discretion,  and 
we  were  able  without  hesitation  to  place  our  affairs 
entirely  in  his  hands.  Fortunate  is  the  traveller  who 
likes  his  companions  better  at  the  end  of  such  a journey 
than  at  the  beginning  ! 

Mr.  Ku’s  father  had  a narrow  escape  for  his  life, 

104 


KACHIN  WO.MAX 


ch.  xi  Peking 

like  many  other  Chinese  officials,  during  the  troubles 
of  1900.  He  was  seized  one  day  by  Boxers,  who 
prepared  to  kill  him  : when  he  asked  why  they  were 
doing  this  they  said  it  was  because  he  was  a Christian. 
He  assured  them  he  was  not,  but  they  refused  to 
believe  it,  and  it  was  only  after  repeated  remonstrances 
that  they  said  they  would  put  it  to  the  proof.  This 
was  done  by  means  of  lighting  a piece  of  paper  : if  it 
burnt  away  entirely,  the  Boxers  said  that  would  show 
he  was  not  a Christian,  but  if  it  didn’t,  then  he  should 
be  put  to  death.  Happily  the  paper  was  dry  and 
burnt  up,  but  the  Boxers,  although  they  spared  life 
in  this  case,  demanded  a heavy  sum  of  money  and 
a quantity  of  rice.  Although  the  Boxers  began  by 
being  patriotic  fanatics,  they  soon  turned  into  mere 
plunderers.  The  sketch  gives  the  costume  of  a Peking 
Boxer,  with  upraised  hand  making  a military  sign ; 
but  they  had  no  regular  uniform,  and  merely  wore 
red  as  a distinctive  mark. 

We  only  spent  six  days  at  Peking,  as  we  felt  we 
must  hurry  on,  much  as  we  should  have  liked  to  spend 
weeks  there  instead  of  days. 


CHAPTER  XII 


The  Pehan  Railway : from  Peking 
to  Hankow 

This  line  extends  a distance  of  700  English 
miles  from  Peking  to  Hankow.  The  railway 
was  construdted  by  a Belgian  syndicate,  but  it 
is  really  a combination  of  French,  Belgian,  and  Russian 
interests,  which  were  successful  in  outbidding  American 
proposals.  The  Belgians  proved  themselves  more  suc- 
cessful diplomatists  than  the  Americans,  and  struck  a 
bargain  with  the  Chinese,  in  1897,  such  a nature 
that  it  had  to  be  completely  altered  afterwards.  The 
arrangement  certainly  does  not  bear  a creditable  aspect. 
Indeed,  the  whole  history  of  railway  enterprise  in  China 
makes  sorry  reading.  British  protests  were  ignored, 
and  a working  agreement  was  made, giving  the  Belgian 
syndicate  full  rights  over  the  line  for  forty  years.  In 
the  prospedlus  which  they  issued  they  professed  to 
have  obtained  the  right  to  carry  the  railway  through 
from  Hankow  to  Canton,  but  events  have  conclusively 
proved  that,  although  they  attempted  to  obtain  this 
right,  it  was  refused.  An  American  combination 
won  the  concession  in  1898,  but  it  was  cancelled  in 
1905 — little  progress  having  been  made — and  it  is  to 

106 


MR.  KU 


ch.  xii  T'he  P^han  Railway 

be  a Chinese  line  from  Hankow  to  Canton.  An 
English  engineer  had  already  strongly  advocated  the 
value  of  such  a line,  and  the  Chinese  are  made  to 
realise  more  clearly  every  day  the  advisability  of 
keeping  the  railways  as  far  as  possible  in  their  own 
hands. 

One  of  the  most  striking  drawbacks  of  the  Pehan 
railway  is  that  no  goods  can  safely  be  sent  by  it.  Our 
luggage  was  fortunately  so  small  that  we  had  it  all  in 
the  carriage  with  us — two  suit-cases,  two  bed-bags, 
and  a hold-all  being  all  that  we  allowed  ourselves  for 
the  journey  through  the  interior.  We  had  sent  our 
other  luggage  round  from  Shanghai  to  Burma,  so  that 
we  might  travel  as  lightly  as  possible.  During  the 
whole  of  our  journey  we  never  lost  a single  article, 
and  it  was  a disheartening  consideration  that  it  was 
only  when  we  came  in  contadt  with  Europeans  that 
we  had  any  need  for  care. 

Together  with  the  right  to  build  the  Pehan  line, 
the  Belgian  syndicate  obtained  a mining  concession 
of  great  value  at  Lincheng  in  the  province  of  Chili. 
So  much  with  regard  to  the  Chinese  railways. 

We  started  in  the  grey  dawn  to  take  the  7 a.m.  train 
to  Hankow,  and  as  the  only  weekly  express  started  the 
wrong  day  for  us,  we  decided  to  go  by  the  ordinary 
mail.  According  to  continental  custom,  there  is  a 
considerable  difference  in  price  between  the  two,  and 
we  paid  the  same  price  for  first-class  ordinary  tickets 
as  we  should  have  done  for  second-class  by  the  express. 
The  carriages  are  not  so  good,  but  we  found  them 

107 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xii 

comfortable,  and  infinitely  cleaner  than  on  the  German 
line.  In  fa6t,  a man  came  round  periodically  with  a 
feather  brush  to  dust  us  out,  and  this  was  sadly  needed 
across  the  dusty  plains  of  Chili  and  Honan,  which  it 
took  us  two  days  to  traverse.  The  carriages  are  broad, 
and  we  had  one  to  ourselves,  next  door  to  a handy  little 
kitchen.  Perhaps  it  was  with  this  fa6t  in  view  that 
mine  host’s  cook  brought  us  two  live  chickens,  tied 
by  a string,  as  provision  for  the  journey  ! But  we 
had  started  in  such  excellent  time  that  the  do<5tor 
sent  him  off  from  the  station  post-haste  to  get  cooked 
ones  instead,  and  he  returned  triumphant  with  two 
well-spiced  creatures  packed  in  a basket,  covered  with 
leaves.  We  were  only  dependent,  therefore,  on  the 
kitchen  for  hot  water,  and  it  was  a great  boon  to  have 
as  much  as  we  wanted  both  for  drinking  and  washing. 
Our  servant  Liu — who  had  been  found  for  us  and 
partially  trained  by  the  dodtor — was  allowed  to  come 
along  and  wash  up  for  us  and  do  any  odd  jobs  we 
might  want. 

The  train  only  runs  during  the  day,  but  we  got  per- 
mission to  stay  in  it  at  night,  and  having  bedding  with 
us,  we  were  able  to  be  quite  comfortable.  It  was  much 
less  fatiguing  than  having  to  turn  out  and  go  to  an 
inn,  especially  as  we  started  again  at  6 a.m.  The 
vast  plains  that  wepassed  through  looked  verydeserted, 
as  the  harvest  is  pradtically  over  : the  persimmon  trees 
were  nearly  bare  of  fruit,  but  the  Indian  corn  still 
made  vivid  patches  of  colour  on  the  threshing-floors, 
and  occasionally  we  saw  monkey-nuts  being  siftedfrom 

108 


h»-u. 


V 


=»  •>  • 


. ^ 


•3^'  " ■ 


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■ C . 


v> 


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■ A 

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9 . .^ 


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-J«f 


ch.  xii  "The  Pdhan  Railway 

the  sandy  soil,  which  is  particularly  adapted  to  their 
culture. 

We  found  the  stations  on  the  Pehan  railway  more 
varied  and  amusing  than  those  in  Shantung  ; we  could 
really  have  supplied  all  our  needs  in  the  way  of  food 
at  them,  as  there  were  excellent  bread,  chickens,  eggs, 
various  kinds  of  fruit,  and  many  Chinese  delicacies  to 
he  had  ; but  naturally  we  preferred  carrying  our  own 
supplies. 

On  the  second  day  we  came  to  the  most  interesting 
point  in  the  journey — the  crossing  of  the  Hwang  Ho 
(Yellow  River).  It  is  a single-line  bridge,  nearly  two 
miles  long,  and  looks  far  too  fragile  to  withstand  the 
swirl  of  the  waters  when  the  river  is  full.  It  is  a 
screw-pile  eredlion,  and  was  extremely  difficult  and 
costly  to  build,  owing  to  the  shifting  sands  and  depth 
of  mud. 

The  choice  of  a spot  for  a bridge  has  been  criticised 
somewhat  severely  on  account  of  changes  in  the  course 
of  the  river,  but  its  nine  changes  during  2000  years 
make  an  engineer  study  the  matter  with  very  great 
care,  and  one  must  hope  that  the  right  spot  has  been 
chosen.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  simply  a quicksand, 
and  it  proved  extremely  difficult  to  reach  any  solid 
foundation.  The  rock  and  stone  at  first  used  to 
strengthen  the  foundations  was  simply  swallowed  by 
the  quicksand,  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  a founda- 
tion of  what  can  only  be  described  as  matting,  made 
by  twisting  together  the  branches  of  trees,  on  which 
tons  of  stones  were  piled  round  the  screw-piles,  and 

log 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xii 

these  were  again  protefted  from  the  down-flowing  tide 
by  triangular  arrangements  of  wooden  piles.  The 
screw-piles  are  placed  in  sets  of  four,  six,  eight,  and 
ten,  and  joined  together  by  powerful  stanchions  and 
girders,  and  they  reach  a depth  of  some  forty-four  feet. 
The  train  crawled  across  the  bridge  in  a most  gingerly 
way,  and  one  would  certainly  hesitate  to  risk  crossing 
it  at  flood-tide.  As  one  looked  down  on  the  water 
(more  like  chocolate  cream  than  anything  else)  eddying 
round  the  supports,  there  was  an  evil  fascination  about 
it.  An  Indian  engineer  explained  to  us  that  the 
Chinese  method  of  damming  the  river  is  exaftly  the 
opposite  to  ours — namely,  they  dam  it  below  the  bridge, 
and  we  above.  It  was  a relief  to  get  safely  across  its 
interminable  length  : the  time  went  so  slowly  that 
one  might  almost  forget  the  notice-board  at  one  end, 
saying,  “ Fleuve  jaune,  rive  nord,”  before  reaching  the 
one  at  the  other  end,  “ Fleuve  jaune,  rive  sud.”  At 
this  point  in  the  journey  we  left  the  Great  North 
China  Plain  extending  to  the  farther  side  of  Peking, 
came  into  more  varied  country,  and  approached  the 
hills,  which  before  we  had  only  seen  at  intervals 
looming  in  the  distance.  The  railway  goes  through 
a tunnel,  the  first  to  be  made  in  China,  and  emerges 
into  the  Yangtze  valley. 

On  the  third  day  the  scenery  we  passed  through 
was  beautiful,  and  we  came  to  quite  a different  vegeta- 
tion. The  Scotch  firs  on  the  steep  loess  hillsides  re- 
minded us  pleasantly  of  home,  and  even  a view  of  the 
Great  Wall  at  one  point  did  not  altogether  dispel  the 


ch.  xii  The  P^ha?i  Railway 

illusion.  Why  the  Great  Wall  extends  down  here  it 
would  be  hard  to  say,  for  it  could  scarcely  be  of  much 
use  in  its  shrunken  dimensions  to  keep  out  invaders. 
The  Great  Wall  was  erefted  along  the  northern  frontier 
of  China  for  a distance  of  about  i 500  miles,  in  the  year 
214  B.c.,by  Chin  Hwang  Tu.  The  amount  ofmaterial 
required  to  build  it  is  said  to  be  seventy  times  as  much 
as  that  required  for  building  the  largest  ofthepyramids. 
The  part  of  the  wall  we  saw  was  a spur  running  down 
from  the  Great  Wall  between  the  provinces  of  Shansi 
and  Chili  ; there  are  other  similar  spurs  from  the  Great 
Wall.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  are  rice-fields. 

As  we  came  farther  south  the  vegetation  changed. 
Instead  of  cornfields  we  saw  rice-fields,  mostly  under 
water  ; and  more  and  more  the  water  increased  in 
volume,  till  we  found  ourselves  skirting  large  lagoons, 
with  countless  little  boats  on  their  surface,  and  large 
fishing-nets,  which  brought  up  a shining  harvest  of 
little  fish.  Many  huts  are  built  on  land  which  must 
frequently  be  submerged,  as  is  the  case  along  the 
Yangtze  valley. 

Sometimes  we  saw  beds  of  bamboos,  for  which  the 
climate  is  too  cold  farther  north.  Water  buffaloes 
replaced  the  other  cattle,  for  the  obvious  reason  that 
they  are  much  better  suited  to  work  in  swampy 
grounds. 

At  sunset  we  reached  Hankow  (so  called  because  it 
is  on  the  Han  river),  and  were  kept  waiting  a long 
time  at  the  first  station,  close  to  the  banks  of  the 
Yangtzekiang,  so  that  it  was  dark  by  the  time  we 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xii 

reached  the  town.  We  drew  up  alongside  a crowd 
of  people,  dimly  illumined  by  the  gay  Chinese  lanterns 
they  were  carrying,  and  found  it  difficult  to  distin- 
guish the  friends  who  had  come  to  meet  us.  Nearly 
every  one  carries  a lantern,  or  has  a servant  to  do  it, 
for  the  place  is  miserably  lighted.  The  station  is  in 
the  middle  of  the  foreign  concession,  and  you  might 
easily  imagine  yourself  in  a poorly  lighted  London 
suburb,  as  you  pass  big  warehouses  and  shops  and 
suburban  villas.  It  is  the  centre  of  the  commercial 
life  of  the  place,  and  there  is  a large  European  popu- 
lation. 

All  along  the  river-bank  the  city  stretches  for  miles, 
and  across  the  river  is  the  town  of  Wuchang,  to  which 
ferries  ply  continually.  If  the  wind  is  against  you  it 
may  take  an  hour  or  more  to  get  across,  and  you  could 
easilyimagine  yourself  on  the  sea.  Indeed, it  is  nothing 
uncommon  to  go  across  in  calm  weather  to  pay  a call, 
and  for  the  wind  to  rise  suddenly  and  prevent  your 
coming  back  for  a couple  of  days.  At  Wuchang 
there  are  various  missions  with  hospitals  and  schools. 
At  one  of  these  we  saw  a slave  girl  who  had  been 
almost  burnt  to  death  with  incense  sticks  by  an  en- 
raged mistress,  and  then  bricked  up  in  a wall  to  die 
of  starvation.  She  will  probably  never  entirely  recover 
the  shock  to  the  system.  Large  boat-loads  of  girls 
are  continually  passing  down  the  river  from  the 
province  of  Szechwan,  we  were  told,  for  sale  at  the 
ports  ; and  although  there  has  recently  been  an  edidt 
prohibiting  the  traffic,  that  edidl  is  a dead  letter. 


ch.  xii  The  Pi  ban  Railway 

Many  slave  girls  are  not  badly  treated,  but  in  fits  of 
passion  a Chinese  mistress  becomes  capable  of  dia- 
bolical cruelty.  One  child  was  brought  to  the  hospital 
at  Taiyuan  Fu,  some  years  ago  when  I was  there, 
almost  dead.  She  had  been  beaten  and  knocked  about 
and  bitten  till  she  was  one  mass  of  bruises  and  sores, 
and  was  almost  blind  and  quite  lame.  She  screamed 
at  first  if  any  one  came  near  her,  and  it  was  plain  that 
kindness  was  a thing  unknown.  Soon  she  learnt  that 
she  had  come  into  a new  world,  and  responded  beauti- 
fully to  the  new  treatment.  Her  face  lighted  up 
with  joy  at  any  small  gift,  a flower  or  a sweet,  and 
the  necessary  suffering  caused  by  dressing  her  wounds 
was  borne  in  heroic  silence.  Her  one  dread  was  lest 
she  should  recover  so  as  to  have  to  return  to  her  old 
mistress.  Several  months  of  diplomatic  negotiations 
passed  before  her  mistress  was  persuaded  to  make  her 
over  as  a gift  to  the  hospital,  on  account  of  her  in- 
curable lameness  and  blindness,  which  rendered  her 
pradfically  useless. 

So  much  has  been  said  about  the  cruelty  of  the 
Chinese  as  a race,  that  I cannot  forbear  pointing  out 
one  or  two  things  that  have  struck  me.  The  China- 
man never  appears  to  be  cruel  from  innate  love  of 
cruelty  for  its  own  sake  of  sport,  and  I have  never 
seen  or  heard  in  China  of  the  atrocities  which  make 
travelling  in  southern  Italy  and  Spain  a misery  to 
any  one  who  loves  animals.  Cruelty  for  the  love  of 
money — such  as  that  witnessed  on  the  Congo  and  else- 
where— is  not  to  be  found  in  China,  except  in  isolated 

113  H 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xii 

cases,  such  as  in  the  gaols.  If  it  were  not  for  the 
humanising  influences  of  Christianity,!  believe  that  we 
should  be  a more  brutal  race  than  the  Chinese,  for 
unhappily  the  sporting  instindt,  which  we  so  strongly 
possess,  is  closely  allied  to  cruelty.  A Chinaman  look- 
ing on  at  many  a football  match  in  Lancashire  or  York- 
shire might  reasonably  have  much  to  say  on  the  subjedf 
of  kicking,  for  instance,  as  a proof  of  our  brutality. 
Another  point  that  is  apt  to  be  overlooked  is  that  the 
Chinese  are  extraordinarily  insensitive  to  pain  ; wit- 
ness every  operating  theatre  in  the  country,  where 
anesthetics  are  much  less  used  or  required  than  for 
Europeans.  There  is  no  denying  that  the  Chinese 
can  be  unspeakably  cruel  when  under  the  influence  of 
passion,  but  not  more  so  than  Europeans;  and  that 
Chinese  punishments  are  barbarous  in  the  extreme; 
but  there  is  little  doubt  they  will  soon  be  altered  and 
brought  into  line  with  Western  ideas,  if  one  may  judge 
from  other  changes  now  taking  place. 

There  is  a Bund  at  Hankow  running  along  the 
river-side  as  at  Shanghai,  but  it  is  not  nearly  so  fine  a 
one.  Large  ships  pass  daily  between  the  two  cities ; 
for  Hankow  is  a most  flourishing  place,  the  centre  of 
the  tea  trade,  and  in  its  warehouses  is  packed  all  the 
tea  for  the  Russian  market  which  can  be  despatched 
to  Russia  without  transhipment.^  Immediately  to 
the€i&i  of  Hankow,  and  only  separated  from  it  by  the 


‘ Hankow  is  six  hundred  miles  from  the  sea-coast,  but  ocean-going  ships 
can  come  right  up  the  river  to  that  point,  and  smaller  steamers  go  yet  another 
four  hundred  miles  to  Ichang. 


ch.  xii  "The  P^han  Railway 

Han  river,  is  the  large  town  of  Han-Yang,  and  this 
and  Wu  Chang  form  one  big  city  with  Hankow. 

We  had  to  wait  a few  days  before  we  could  get  a 
steamer  going  to  Ichang,  and  though  small,  we  found 
it  remarkably  comfortable,  so  that  we  enjoyed  our 
three  days’  trip.  The  country  at  first  was  flat,  but 
there  was  always  something  to  see — long,  V-shaped 
flights  of  geese,  or  solid  blocks  of  ducks.  Herons, 
too,  and  many  other  kinds  of  birds  we  saw;  and  wild 
turkeys  we  ate^  as  well  as  pheasants. 

The  river  was  unusually  high,  but  not  too  high, 
we  ascertained,  for  us  to  get  up  the  rapids.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  height  of  the  river  the  tiny  steam-launch 
had  to  be  let  down  at  one  point,  as  well  as  continual 
soundings  to  be  made  to  test  the  depth  of  the  river- 
bed. This  is  always  changing,  especially  during  the 
fall  of  the  and  is  one  of  the  main  difficulties  of 

river  navigation  in  China,  making  it  most  tiresome 
and  dangerous. 

Wet  weather  set  in  next  day  and  lasted  more  or 
less  for  a week,  so  that  the  crags  overhanging  the 
banks  near  Ichang  looked  grand  and  forbidding  as  we 
steamed  up  to  it. 


“5 


CHAPTER  XIII 


On  the  Yangtze:  Ichang  to 
Wanhsien 

WE  reached  Ichang  on  Sunday  afternoon,  and 
were  glad  to  be  in  time  for  a service  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  the  last  really  home- 
like church  we  attended  till  we  reached  Burma.  In 
all  other  churches  there  were  things  to  remind  us 
that  we  were  in  China,  but  here  we  were  in  Scotland 
once  more,  and  this  is  the  only  station  of  the  Scotch 
Established  Church  in  China  proper  : they  have  a 
flourishing  work,  however,  in  Manchuria. 

Ichang  has  quite  a colony  of  Europeans.  They 
were  anxious  to  have  a good  road  outside  the  town  for 
the  sake  of  exercise,  and  when  we  visited  the  tennis 
club  we  saw  the  one  they  had  made.  The  whole 
surface  of  the  ground  for  miles  and  miles  is  covered 
with  mounds  ( = graves),  so  closely  packed  together 
that  it  is  impossible  to  help  treading  on  them  if  you 
leave  the  path.  The  Europeans  knew  there  would 
be  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  permission  to  make  the 
road  they  wanted,  so  they  subscribed  the  requisite 
funds  among  themselves  and  took  French  leave  to 
make  it.  Before  the  Chinese  had  recovered  from  their 


r'-- 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtze 

surprise,  or  had  decided  what  to  do,  the  road  was 
made.  Then  the  Chinese  adted  in  a truly  magnani- 
mous way.  Instead  of  simply  seizing  it,  as  they  had 
every  right  to  do  (according  to  my  informant’s  story), 
they  paid  the  Europeans  all  they  had  spent  upon 
it,  saying  they  must  have  the  road  in  their  own 
hands. 

From  my  sketch  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
vast  multitudes  of  graves  outside  Ichang : some  have 
sticks  planted  in  them  with  little  paper  streamers. 
Wherever  we  travelled  we  saw  the  same  sight — endless 
graves  speaking  of  the  innumerable  dead. 

It  took  some  time  to  make  an  agreement  for  a 
houseboat  to  take  us  from  Ichang  to  Wanhsien,  as  the 
boatmen  prefer  to  go  as  far  as  Chungking,  where  they 
can  usually  secure  a fresh  cargo  for  the  return  journey  ; 
but  eventually  the  matter  was  satisfadlorily  settled.  A 
nice  clean  boat  was  engaged,  with  three  compartments 
and  a good  space  for  cooking  at  the  back,  above  which 
a little  god  sat  in  a shrine.  We  decided  to  inhabit 
the  two  front  rooms,  and  Mr.  Ku  and  Liu  the  back 
one, and  we  hung  up  curtains  to  supplement  the  flimsy 
partitions,  as  they  consisted  of  a few  loose  planks,  with 
gaps  of  one  or  two  inches  wide  between  them,  and  at 
quite  a slight  touch  they  fell  down. 

It  was  a great  convenience  that  our  interpreter  and 
our  servant  (who  had  also  formerly  been  his  servant) 
shared  a room  and  always  had  their  meals  together. 
This  is  quite  a usual  arrangement  in  China,  as  there 
never  seems  to  be  any  desire  for  privacy  amongst  the 

117 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

Chinese,  and  servants  are  on  a much  more  intimate 
footing  w^ith  their  masters  than  is  the  case  with  us. 

The  agreement  for  the  boat  was  drawn  up  in  writing, 
and  the  crew  was  to  consist  of  nineteen  men : the  sum 
to  be  paid  for  the  whole  trip  was  9 5 taels  (about  f 1 4). 
As  Hosie  mentions  in  his  book  that  he  had  to  pay 

Chungking  (about  twice  the  dis- 
tance, though  the  latter  half  is  much  the  least  arduous 
and  dangerous),  we  were  not  dissatisfied  with  our  bar- 
gain, although  we  were  told  we  were  paying  quite 
too  much. 

The  captain  received  75  taels  at  starting,  ten  taels 
when  half-way,  and  the  remaining  ten  on  arrival. 
Though  the  bargain  was  struck  on  Tuesday,  we  did 
not  succeed  in  starting  till  Saturday  morning,  and  in 
the  mean  time  both  we  and  the  captain  were  busy  with 
our  preparations.  We  got  wadded  Chinese  clothes, 
for  it  was  beginning  to  get  cold,  andwe  thought  (though 
in  this  we  proved  to  be  mistaken,  for  no  curiosity 
was  exhibited  about  us  at  any  place  we  visited  in 
European  clothes)  that  they  would  save  us  from  much 
inquisitive  inspection  in  the  western  provinces.  Long 
fur-lined  silk  coats  we  had  got  in  Peking  (about 
^3.  I os.),  tall  black  velvet  felt-lined  boots  (7s.  6d.), 
wadded  silk  jackets  (7s.  6d.),  black  cloth  (European) 
skirt, described  on  the  bill  in  Mr.  Chang’s  best  English 
as  “ brewen  fine  cloth  beetticoat  ” (^  i . 2S.  6d.).  Our 
heating  and  cooking  apparatus  had  to  be  made — two 
impromptu  charcoal  stoves  made  out  of  packing-cases 
lined  with  bricks,  a little  oven  to  stand  on  the  top, 

118 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtxe 

three  pans  with  lids  (made  out  of  the  ubiquitous  kero- 
sene tin),  two  tins,  and  a zinc  kettle,  all  for  the  modest 
sum  of  6s.  6d.  As  our  servant’s  cooking  capacity 
proved  to  be  very  limited — he  proudly  announced  he 
could  cook  both  a chicken  and  a pudding — we  decided 
to  trust  rather  to  my  experience,  and  we  laid  in  a supply 
of  stores,  which  are  easily  obtainable  at  Ichang. 

The  next  point  was  to  secure  a red-boat  ( = lifeboat), 
for  which  we  applied  to  the  British  Consul,  and  he 
again  had  to  apply  to  the  Chinese  General,  who 
is  always  willing  to  provide  one  gratis  to  foreign 
travellers.  The  Consul — like  many  of  his  class  in 
China — at  once  suggested  every  possible  difficulty, 
and  seemed  to  think  that  at  his  request  we  should 
meekly  turn  round  and  go  home  again.  He  told  us 
that  he  had  just  refused  to  give  the  bishop  a passport 
for  some  ladies  travelling  into  Szechwan,  and  we  were 
thankful  that  we  had  got  ours — though  not  with- 
out difficulty  and  vexation — elsewhere.  As  we  were 
backed  up  by  advice  received  at  the  British  Embassy 
at  Peking  with  regard  to  our  journey,  the  Consul 
could  not  refuse  to  apply  for  the  red-boat  escort, 
though  later  in  the  day  he  had  the  satisfadtion  of 
telling  us  that  none  was  available.  Happily,  however, 
one  came  in  before  we  started,  so  that  we  had  No.  48 
assigned  to  us  on  Friday  evening.  It  was  very  wet 
all  day,  but  I found  an  interesting  subjedl  to  paint 
in  a family  ancestral  tablet.  On  the  right-hand  side 
is  a drum  for  worship,  and  on  the  altar  in  front  of  the 
tablet  is  a bronze  vase  in  which  burning  sticks  of 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

incense  are  placed.  On  certain  days  the  members  of 
the  family  prostrate  themselves  before  it,  and  offerings 
of  cakes  and  fruit  are  presented  by  them. 

Ancestral  worship  dates  from  the  earliest  times,  and 
has  even  to  the  present  time  the  strongest  hold  upon 
people  of  all  classes.  The  Emperor  possesses  seven 
shrines,  representing  his  various  ancestors ; the  nobles 
are  allowed  five  shrines,  and  ordinary  people  have  only 
one.  The  offerings  are  by  no  means  costly  or  lavish, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  must  not  be  mean ; and 
it  is  related  of  a certain  high  official,  with  censure, 
that  the  sucking  pig  which  he  offered  for  his  father 
was  not  large  enough  to  fill  the  dish  ! Closely  allied 
with  ancestral  worship  is  that  greatest  virtue  of  the 
Chinese,  filial  piety;  and  Confucius  lays  stress  in  his 
teaching  on  the  spirit  in  which  its  duties  are  to  be 
carried  out,  pointing  out  that  it  is  best  seen  in  en- 
deavouring to  realise  the  aims  of  the  forefathers. 

After  dinner  we  made  our  way  through  the  rain 
down  the  slippery  bank  to  our  boat,  across  a most 
shaky  plank.  The  bare  boards  looked  rather  dull 
quarters  for  the  night,  and  the  wind  whistled  dismally, 
so  our  kind  hosts  offered  to  lend  us  deck-chairs  and  a 
good  supply  of  newspapers  to  keep  out  draughts — an 
offer  we  thankfully  accepted.  Soon  we  had  everything 
ship-shape,  and  began  to  accustom  ourselves  to  the 
lullaby  provided  by  nineteen  snorers,  packed  like 
herrings  into  the  few  yards  composing  the  forepart 
of  the  boat. 

We  made  a pretence  of  starting  the  next  morning 

120 


AXCKSTkAI.  TUII.KT 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtxe 

between  seven  and  eight  o’clock,  heralded  by  a tre- 
mendous trampling  overhead  on  our  little  roof,  which 
must  have  been  remarkably  tough  not  to  have  given 
way.  The  mats  used  as  an  awning  over  the  boatmen 
at  night  were  stacked  on  our  roof  during  the  day. 
We  slowly  made  our  way  by  the  aid  of  a sail  for 
about  half  a mile  up  the  river,  alongside  the  town ; 
then  the  men  stopped  for  breakfast,  and  we  were 
told  that  the  captain  had  gone  ashore  to  buy  more 
bamboo  towing-ropes.  This  took  another  hour  or 
two.  Again  we  started,  but  after  another  half-mile 
we  drew  up  beside  an  island  for  a very  long  spell. 
Festma  lente  was  evidently  the  watchword,  and  it 
took  a great  many  exhortations  through  Mr.  Ku, 
as  interpreter,  before  we  got  the  men  started  again. 
Eventually  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  custom- 
house (ten  miles  up  the  river)  by  dusk,  and  there  tied 
up  for  the  night. 

From  that  time  we  always  started  soon  after  day- 
light, and  there  was  no  lack  of  interest.  The  scenery 
became  very  grand — the  banks  were  nearer  to  each 
other,  and  lofty  crags  rose  precipitously  from  the  river- 
side, often  to  a considerable  height,  200  or  250  feet. 
Though  the  colour  of  the  water  is  ugly  and  muddy, 
the  vegetation  is  most  beautiful,  and  the  foliage  of  the 
azalea  added  greatly  to  the  charm  of  the  landscape. 
There  was  so  little  wind  that  the  sail  was  pradtically 
useless,  and  the  men  shouted  for  the  wind  in  vain. 
It  is  curious  how  much  faith  they  have  in  shouting, 
despite  their  frequent  failure.  They  were  obliged  to 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

row,  or  go  ashore  and  track.  There  is  one  long  oar 
on  each  side  of  the  boat,  and  it  is  worked  by  five  or 
six  men,  who  twist  it  to  the  accompaniment  of  a 
hoarse  vocal  noise — it  can  hardly  be  called  a chant — 
and  it  sometimes  rises  to  a veritable  howl  ! Not 
infrequently  one  of  the  rowers  stands  on  a plank  on 
the  outer  side  of  the  oar — namely,  above  the  river — 
fixed  at  right  angles  to  the  boat.  When  the  current 
is  strong  the  men  work  in  a sort  of  frenzy  and  stamp 
like  elephants,  their  voices  rising  to  a deafening  din, 
assisted  by  those  of  the  rest  of  the  crew.  Despite  the 
cold  they  strip  to  the  waist,  and  only  put  on  their  thin 
blue  cotton  coats  when  they  go  on  shore  to  track. 

One  of  the  men,  clad  in  a long  coat,  utilised  an  un- 
wonted lull  in  his  labours  to  wash  his  nether  garment 
in  the  rice-tub  which  had  just  been  emptied  by  the 
hungry  men  ! His  teeth  were  chattering  with  cold, 
and  he  shivered  wofully  in  the  raw  air.  The  ten 
men  who  a6t  as  trackers  and  tow  the  boat  are  as  nimble 
as  cats  and  scale  the  rocks  with  marvellous  rapidity, 
keeping  up  a rapid  trot  over  the  most  uncompromising 
boulders,  while  two  men  follow  them  to  clear  the  rope 
from  obstructions.  The  ropes  are  made  of  bamboo, 
and  look  little  qualified  to  stand  the  heavy  strain  of 
pulling  the  laden  junks  up  the  rapids.  To  these  ropes 
the  men  are  harnessed  by  short  ropes,  which  they 
detach  at  pleasure.  The  trackers  are  often  a quarter 
of  a mile  distant  from  the  boat,  for  the  river  is  very 
wide  and  winding  in  places,  and  frequently  extra  men 
have  to  be  hired,  augmenting  their  numbers  up  to 


ULUE  DAWN 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtze 

one  hundred  or  more  for  the  worst  rapids.  Many  a 
time  a tracker  has  to  dash  into  the  swirling  waters  to 
free  the  rope,  and  his  scanty  clothing  is  flung  off  in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Our  red-boat  was  quite 
useful  in  taking  the  trackers  on  and  off  the  shore, 
where  the  water  was  too  shallow  for  us  to  go — and 
the  red-boat  men  were  friendly  creatures,  continually 
hovering  round  us  night  and  day,  ready  for  service. 
By  means  of  little  offerings  of  hot  tea,  ©“c.,  we  soon 
got  on  the  pleasantest  terms,  and  often  had  little  dumb- 
show  conversations.  These  boats  are  very  light,  and 
have  long  narrow  blue  sails  and  blue-and-white  striped 
awnings  ; the  boat  and  military  uniform  are  scarlet, 
so  that  they  are  readily  distinguishable  from  all  other 
craft  on  the  river.  Even  their  chopsticks  are  red : 
altogether  they  look  extremely  smart,  and  the 
boatmen  are  skilful  and  experienced  men.  Parcel- 
post  boats  have  blue-and-white  striped  sails  and  a 
yellow  sort  of  box  in  the  centre  of  the  boat  to  dis- 
tinguish them.  The  letters  do  not  go  by  water,  but 
are  carried  by  men  overland. 

There  have  been  so  many  accidents  on  the  river 
this  season,  owing  to  its  fulness,  that  we  determined 
to  go  ashore  whenever  we  came  to  a rapid,  and  to  take 
our  luggage  with  us.  We  duly  instructed  the  captain 
and  also  the  red-boat  men  on  the  subjedt,  but,  to  our 
surprise,  on  the  third  day  we  discovered  that  we  had 
already  come  up  one  rapid,  and  before  we  knew  it  we 
were  into  a second.  The  faCt  is  that  the  current  is 
so  strong,  and  the  river  altogether  so  tumultuous  and 

123 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

vicious-looking,  that  to  the  uninitiated  the  rapids  are 
not  always  different  in  appearance  from  the  rest  of 
the  Yangtze,  and  most  of  the  way  through  the  gorges 
seems  full  of  rapids.  Getting  round  the  sharp  bends 
of  the  river  is  a difficult  matter,  and  they  frequently 
tie  a rope  from  the  boat  round  a boulder,  while  the 
trackers  hold  on  to  another  fastened  to  the  top  of  the 
mast,  from  which  it  can  be  lowered  at  will  by  means 
of  a slip  rope.  The  trackers  strain  every  nerve,  and 
frequently  go  on  all-fours,  and  yet  can’t  budge  an  inch. 
Sometimes  they  are  obliged  to  let  go,  and  then  the 
junk  slips  back  in  the  swirl  of  water,  to  the  great 
danger  of  any  others  that  may  be  in  the  rear. 

The  fourth  day  after  leaving  Ichang  we  had  a very 
narrow  escape  of  this  sort.  I had  been  admonishing 
the  captain  about  his  stupidity  in  following  close 
behind  a heavy  large  junk,  and  told  him  we  ought 
to  have  been  in  front  of  it,  by  starting  a little  earlier 
in  the  morning.  He  was  surly,  and  complained  that 
it  would  have  been  necessary  to  get  up  so  very^  very 
early;  but  he  was  soon  brought  to  repentance  by 
something  much  more  unpleasant  than  my  words. 
We  were  waiting  our  turn  to  get  round  a sharp 
corner,  and  were  moored  to  the  bank,  so  we  had  no 
means  of  escape  when  the  big  junk  suddenly  swooped 
down  upon  us.  A horrible  grinding,  tearing,  crashing 
sound  ensued,  accompanied  by  violent  yells  from  the 
men ; but  we  gasped  with  relief  to  see  our  walls  still 
intact,  though  our  windows  were  shivered  and  the 
shutters  torn  off.  The  damage  done  was  quite  small, 

124 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtze 

but  it  delayed  us  several  hours  that  day,  and  caused 
us  to  be  at  the  end  of  a long  string  of  boats  for  getting 
up  the  big  rapid  next  day. 

The  Yeh  Tan  rapid  (nicknamed  Mutton  Point  by 
the  prosaic  foreigner)  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous, 
and  we  made  great  preparations  in  case  of  accident, 
packing  up  our  things  carefully  in  oiled  paper — a 
most  useful  Chinese  article,  as  it  is  a very  cheap  kind 
of  waterproof.  Our  men  made  quite  other  prepara- 
tions, which  they  firmly  believed  in.  A quantity  of 
special  sacred  paper  was  waved — burning — over  the 
front  of  the  boat;  incense  sticks  were  fixed  up  and 
lighted  ; finally  a cock  was  killed,  and  its  blood  and 
feathers  plentifully  bespattered  around.  This  was 
extremely  distradfing  to  me,  as  I was  well  embarked 
on  a sketch  when  it  took  place  under  my  very  eyes. 
The  subjedl  of  the  sketch  was  quite  characteristic — 
a beautiful  rosy  russet  hillside,  with  a temple  peeping 
out  of  the  trees,  and  a long  narrow  line  of  village  above 
the  high-water  mark  of  the  river.  On  the  shingly 
river-bed  were  temporary  booths  used  as  restaurants. 

Finding  ourselves  tied  to  the  bank  for  an  indefinite 
time,  we  began  to  cook  our  lunch  ; but  no  sooner  was 
the  pot  boiling  than  our  red-boat  men  appeared  saying 
they  had  got  up  the  rapid  (they  were  not  obliged  to 
wait  their  turn  like  ordinary  boats),  and  were  come  to 
escort  us  on  shore.  We  asked  if  our  boat  was  allowed 
to  take  precedence  of  the  big  junks,  and  were  told  that 
it  was ; and  as  our  trackers  had  already  gone  ashore,  it 
lent  colour  to  the  fiction,  and  we  started  off  cheerfully 

125 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

enough.  The  boatmen  shouldered  our  suit-cases, 
which  we  were  afraid  to  risk,  as  they  contained  not 
only  clothes  and  sketches,  but  money  in  the  shape  of 
lumps  of  silver  called  “ tings,”  that  were  to  last  us  for 
several  weeks,  and  which  weighed  many  pounds.  It 
is  really  tiresome  to  have  to  carry  money  in  this  form 
and  have  it  cut  up  and  weighed  in  little  bits,  with 
which  to  buy  the  cash  of  the  distridl,  before  you  can 
purchase  anything.  In  the  more  Europeanised  East, 
Mexican  dollars  are  used,  also  bank-notes  ; but  from 
this  time  on  we  were  obliged  to  use  only  the  rough 
silver  lumps  and  copper  cash.  Sometimes  the  reckon- 
ing was  by  taels  and  sometimes  by  dollars.  The  tael 
is  an  ounce  of  silver — namely,  one  and  one-third  Eng- 
lish ounces — but  there  is  no  coin  to  represent  the  tael. 
The  silver  shoe  is  about  fifty  taels,  but  the  taels  vary 
in  value  at  different  places — the  Peking  tael  is  not  the 
same,  for  instance,  as  the  Hankow  tael : altogether,  the 
money  system  is  hopelessly  complicated.  It  made  us 
feel,  however,  that  we  had  got  beyond  the  pale  of 
civilisation,  and  we  never  attempted  after  this  to  do 
any  purchasing  ourselves,  but  were  fortunate  enough 
to  be  able  to  leave  our  money  matters  with  perfedl 
confidence  in  Mr.  Ku’s  hands.  The  result  was  that 
we  did  our  journey  much  more  economically  than 
other  similar  travellers,  and  were  saved  all  worry. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  see  one  of 
the  latest  Government  edidts  on  the  subjedt  of  the 
currency,  and  to  know  that  it  has  decided  in  favour 
of  a uniform  tael,  the  value  of  which  is  fixed  at  the 

126 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtze 

astonishing  figure  of  1549  cash.  According  to  the 
reports  of  the  governors  of  the  eighteen  provinces, 
there  were  eleven  provinces  in  favour  of  the  tael  as 
against  eight  in  favour  of  the  dollar  currency.  As 
the  tael  has  never  existed  in  coin  form,  and  dollars 
are  largely  used,  there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favour 
of  the  latter;  but  the  Chinese  stick  tenaciously  to 
their  own  peculiar  belongings,  and  in  all  financial 
transadfions  with  foreign  countries  the  tael  has  been 
the  term  used  in  the  past. 

The  following  edidt  appeared  in  the  Peking  Gazette, 
October  5,  1908  : 

“ An  Imperial  Decree  in  response  to  a memorial 
of  Prince  Ching  and  other  Ministers  of  the  Govern- 
ment Council,  and  of  Prince  P’u-lun  and  other 
Members  of  the  Senate,  who,  in  obedience  to  our 
Commands,  have  deliberated  upon  the  subject  of  a 
uniform  national  currency. 

“ A standard  currency  is  the  fundamental  principle 
of  public  finance,  and  various  countries  have  adopted 
a gold  coin  as  their  unit  of  value,  with  the  subsidiary 
currency  of  silver  and  copper  tokens.  Under  well- 
framed regulations  such  currencies  have  been  found 
convenient  and  profitable.  But  it  requires  years  of 
preparation  to  be  ready  for  such  a measure,  which 
can  by  no  means  be  attained  at  one  step.  The  finances 
of  China  are  in  confusion,  and  the  standardising  of 
the  currency  is  an  urgent  necessity.  If  adlual  gold 
coin  were  to  be  taken  as  the  standard  unit,  it  would 

127 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

be  difficult  to  raise  the  necessary  amount  ; while  if 
gold  were  merely  taken  nominally  as  the  standard 
unit,  grave  dangers  would  be  incurred.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  we  should  first  standardise  and  render 
uniform  the  silver  currency,  and  then  carefully  proceed 
to  take  measures  for  a further  advance  ; with  a view  to 
assuring  the  adoption  of  a gold  standard  in  the  future. 

“ The  memorialists  have  pointed  out  that  the  use  of 
the  tael  and  its  fradlions  has  been  so  long  established 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  substitute  any  other 
denomination  in  its  place.  The  Committee  of  Finance 
in  a previous  memorial  also  recommended  the  deter- 
mination of  the  tael  as  the  silver  coin  to  be  used. 

“ We,  therefore,  command  that  a large  silver  coin 
shall  be  struck  weighing  one  K’up’ing  tael,  and  that 
large  quantities  of  silver  coins  weighing  .5  of  a 
K’up’ing  tael  shall  also  be  minted  for  general  con- 
venience in  use.  Also  there  shall  be  small  pieces  of 
one  mace  and  of  five  candareens,  of  less  pure  silver, 
which  will  serve  as  subsidiary  currency.  The  two 
silver  coins  aforesaid  shall  be  .980  fine,  while  the  two 
small  silver  pieces  will  be  .880  fine. 

“ This  silver  currency,  except  in  so  far  as  calcula- 
tions under  treaties  and  agreements  with  the  Foreign 
Powers  will  require  to  be  made  as  before,  shall  be 
uniformly  used  by  all  Yamens,  great  or  small,  in 
Peking  or  the  provinces  in  all  their  Treasury  trans- 
actions, and  all  allowances  for  differences  of  weight 
or  touch,  or  meltage  fees,  ^ifc.  ©’c.,  shall  henceforth 
be  perpetually  forbidden. 

128 


ch.  xiii  0^^  the  T'angtxe 

“ Let  the  Governors-General  and  Governors  of 
Provinces  examine  the  conditions  in  their  jiirisdidtions, 
and  devise  means  in  conjunction  with  the  Board  of 
Finance  for  determining  afresh,  either  by  increasing  or 
decreasing  as  the  case  may  be,  the  allowances  and  rice 
money  of  territorial  authorities  and  tax-colleCtorswhile 
on  duty,  together  with  the  expenditure  for  travelling 
on  the  public  service,  and  let  the  rates  be  published 
openly  by  proclamation,  so  that  the  speculations  of 
clerks  and  Yamen  runners  may  be  abolished  for  ever. 

“ As  regards  the  diversity  of  silver  currency  in  the 
various  provinces,  and  differences  of  touch,  which 
give  dishonest  traders  and  market-dealers  the  oppor- 
tunity for  demanding  discounts  and  profits  off  each 
transaction,  grievous  injury  is  infliCted  thereby  on  all 
classes,  and  the  Board  of  Finance  is  now  commanded 
to  issue  stringent  regulations  forbidding  such  practices 
in  the  future,  with  the  view  that  in  a given  number 
of  years  the  national  silver  currency  may  become 
completely  uniform. 

“ Until  the  new  coinage  has  been  minted  in  suffi- 
cient quantities,  the  dollar  and  subsidiary  silver  pieces 
in  use  in  the  provinces,  as  well  as  the  sycee,  may  be 
used  as  before,  for  the  time  being,  on  the  market ; and 
Treasury  payments  may  still  be  made  in  sycee  for  the 
present,  but  must  year  by  year  be  diminished  by  the 
substitution  of  the  new  silver  coinage.  On  these 
questions  let  the  Board  of  Finance  carefully  consider 
the  circumstances  and  take  satisfactory  steps  for  the 
execution  of  this  measure. 

129 


I 


’The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

“ Let  this  Decree  be  generally  circulated  in  all 
parts. 

“Memorial  of  the  Government  Council  (Hui  I Cheng  Wu  Ch’u) 
on  the  question  of  a Uniform  National  Currency.” 

To  return  to  our  subjedt : we  made  our  way  along 
the  shingly  beach,  covered  with  large  loose  boulders, 
past  the  meat-market,  where  goats  stood  ready  to  be 
converted  into  mutton  “ while  you  wait,”  up  to  a 
broad  platform  of  masonry,  about  twenty  feet  high, 
from  which  the  trackers  haul  the  boats  up  the  rapid. 
They  must  have  been  certainly  a quarter  of  a mile 
distant,  and  it  takes  about  half-an-hour  for  some  6o 
or  loo  men  to  get  a heavy  junk  up  the  rapid — about 
loo  yards.  We  waited  our  turn  from  7.30  a.m.  till 
5.30  P.M.,  and  there  were  only  thirteen  boats  ahead 
of  us. 

We  found  we  had  a short  walk  to  the  red-boat,  but 
the  men  were  so  nice,  and  had  rigged  up  the  awning 
for  us,  and  were  so  anxious  that  we  should  be  comfort- 
able and  rest,  that  although  we  felt  exasperated  at 
having  left  our  boat  and  our  meal  so  unnecessarily 
early,  we  could  not  be  angry  with  them.  The  red- 
boat  was  exquisitely  clean,  and  the  men  clever,  daring, 
and  trustworthy : the  captain  was  very  tall,  and  had 
his  head  tied  up  because  of  a swelling,  which  made 
him  look  particularly  interesting. 

We  sent  Liu  to  procure  provisions,  as  our  last  fowl 
had  just  been  put  in  the  pot,  and  he  returned  with 
three  live  ones  (which  appears  to  be  the  Chinese 
equivalent  to  a pair),  price  2s.  3d.  The  fowls  took 

130 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Y angt%e 

French  leave  to  dine  on  persimmons,  which  had  been 
left  within  reach,  casting  a furtive  glance  at  intervals 
to  where  the  boy  was  sitting  meditating  on  the  bank. 
The  day  gradually  wore  away,  and  we  were  very  tired 
with  the  deafening  noise  of  drums,  guns,  crackers,  and 
shouting,  without  which  accompaniment  the  junks 
could  not  be  towed  up  the  rapid  in  safety ! The 
men  on  board  yell  and  wave  their  arms  as  if  in  frantic 
desperation  to  scare  away  the  evil  spirits.  At  last  our 
turn  came,  and  our  boat  rode  triumphantly  up  the 
rapid  by  means  of  two  towing-ropes  in  the  space  of 
ten  minutes.  Ten  hours’  wait  for  a ten  minutes’ job! 
China  certainly  needs  patience.  Our  men  evidently 
thought  they  had  done  enough  for  the  day;  they  tied 
up  to  the  bank,  and  were  soon  snugly  snoring  for  the 
night.  They  lie  like  rows  of  sausages,  so  tightly 
packed  that  it  hardly  looks  possible  for  one  to  turn 
in  his  sleep,  unless  they  did  like  seven  sisters  whom  I 
know.  When  they  were  young  and  the  house  was 
full,  they  slept  in  one  capacious  bed  : when  one  got 
tired  and  wanted  to  turn  over,  she  said  “ turn,”  and 
all  the  seven  had  to  turn  together! 

One  of  the  men  groaned  heavily  for  some  time,  and 
then  began  to  weep.  This  was  too  much  for  the 
others,  who  put  an  effeftual  stop  to  it,  so  that  he 
groaned  no  more.  In  the  morning  I looked  for  the 
culprit,  but  no  one  looked  particularly  ill,  as  many 
are  opium-smokers  and  always  look  a horrible  dead 
colour. 

The  scenery  grows  grander  and  grander  as  you  go 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

up  the  gorges,  and  the  vicious-looking  tide  grows 
more  and  more  threatening.  Passing  wrecks  from 
day  to  day  is  by  no  means  reassuring,  but  when  one 
sees  the  slender  rope  on  which  the  weight  of  a heavily 
laden  junk  depends,  the  marvel  seems  that  any  escape 
being  wrecked.  To  the  traveller  who  enjoys  a spice 
of  danger  and  loves  glorious  scenery  no  trip  could  be 
more  attradlive  than  a journey  up  the  Yangtze  for  a 
month  or  six  weeks,  and  it  is  quite  easy  to  go  almost 
the  length  of  the  empire  by  it.  The  return  journey 
is  performed  in  a very  short  time,  and  is  certainly  not 
lacking  in  excitement;  for  the  boats  seem  to  fly  past 
us,  and  all  hands  on  board  are  needed  to  keep  the  junk 
at  all  head  foremost ; while  steering  is  a work  de- 
manding the  utmost  coolness,strength,  and  intrepidity, 
for  the  river  is  full  of  hidden  rocks.  The  change  in 
the  height  of  the  water  adds  immensely  to  the  danger 
and  difficulty  of  navigation.  For  the  journey  down- 
stream the  masts  are  taken  down,  and  on  a large  junk 
fifteen  or  more  men  are  kept  rowing  as  if  for  dear  life ; 
and  even  then  the  junk  often  threatens  to  be  carried 
down  sideways. 

When  there  is  a strong  wind  blowing  it  is  wonderful 
to  see  how  the  boats  go  up-stream,  despite  the  current, 
while  the  men  sit  down  with  beaming  faces  for  a few 
minutes’  rest,  or  seize  the  opportunity  to  do  a little 
washing.  One  merry  fellow — the  wag  of  the  party 
— explained  in  pantomime  that  he  wanted  to  see  the 
soap  with  which  we  wash  our  hands,  and  was  delighted 
when  we  gave  him  a little  bit  with  which  to  wash  a 

132 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangt'x^e 

piece  of  cotton  that  he  wraps  round  his  head.  They 
use  very  hot  water  but  no  soap  for  washing,  and  it  is 
astonishing  to  see  how  clean  they  succeed  in  making 
their  things.  The  tracker’s  next  bit  of  work  was 
philanthropic  to  a degree  ! He  carefully  washed 
out  his  mouth,  then  filled  it  again  with  water  and 
applied  it  to  a gathering  on  the  sole  of  the  foot  of 
another  man,  and  began  to  draw  out  the  pus.  I put 
a stop  to  it,  however,  and  attended  to  the  foot  in  a 
more  Western  manner.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
my  looking  after  the  various  sores  of  our  party,  and 
from  this  time  on  I rarely  lacked  patients.  It  soon 
became  rather  ludicrous,  for  any  one  who  got  a 
scratched  finger  seemed  to  think  it  required  my 
attention,  and  I much  regretted  not  having  supplied 
myself  with  a dresser’s  case  and  a few  simple  requi- 
sites. Directly  the  man  had  had  his  foot  attended  to, 
he  had  to  go  on  shore  to  track,  with  nothing  but 
a straw  sandal  to  protecfl  the  foot  from  stones  and 
dirt.  The  endurance  of  the  men  is  extraordinary,  but 
happily  they  are  insensitive  to  pain.  A few  days 
later  a man  came  to  me  with  a dreadful  foot,  swelled 
to  almost  double  its  proper  size,  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  I got  the  captain  to  allow  him  to  stay 
on  the  boat  instead  of  tracking  (for  one  day),  as  he 
would  have  forfeited  his  wages  for  the  whole  trip  if 
he  were  unable  to  fulfil  his  duty  on  a single  occasion. 

At  intervals  we  passed  small  hamlets,  and  boats 
came  alongside  with  various  eatables,  or  charcoal,  for 
sale.  Half  a pig  was  eyed  most  longingly  by  the  men, 

133 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

and  eventually  they  secured  the  head  for  a ridiculously 
small  number  of  cash — exactly  how  many  farthings 
they  paid  I could  not  see.  Five  pomeloes  were  to  be 
had  for  one  farthing  apiece,  and  the  cook  was  glad 
to  get  a fresh  supply  of  charcoal.  He  spends  the 
livelong  day  in  his  well — I do  not  know  how  else  to 
describe  it — with  only  his  head  and  shoulders  above 
the  level  of  the  deck.  Close  at  hand  is  the  drum  on 
which  it  is  his  duty  to  beat  instructions  to  the  trackers 
when  they  are  ashore.  He  is  a most  attractive  sub- 
ject for  sketching,  but  is  never  still  a moment  except 
when  he  takes  a nap,  and  then  his  head  also  disap- 
pears into  the  well,  and  he  curls  up,  so  that  only  his 
toes  are  visible.  In  my  little  sketch  of  him  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  his  labour  his  long  nails  look  like  talons, 
and  this  is  invariably  the  case  when  the  nails  are 
allowed  to  grow  long:  they  are  singularly  repulsive, 
and  the  long  silver  nail-sheaths  used  by  the  gentry  to 
conceal  them  are  to  be  commended. 

The  days  on  the  river  slipped  by  very  quickly,  as 
there  is  always  something  fresh  to  watch,  and  if  not 
rapids  to  go  up  every  day,  at  all  events  there  are  diffi- 
cult bits  of  navigation,  and  a certain  anxiety  attends 
the  rounding  of  corners,  when  the  current  twists 
round  with  a threatening  snarl.  The  picturesque 
villages  make  one  long  to  stop  and  sketch,  but  one 
has  to  be  content  instead  to  try  and  jot  down  notes 
while  passing  alongside  them.  The  accompanying 
sketch  shows  a typical  one  : the  red  flag  was  in 
honour  of  a royal  birthday.  A similar  village  is 

134 


THE  EOOK-OUT  OX  THE  VANOTZK 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Yangtze 

Kweichow  (Hupeh),  quite  near  the  big  town  of 
Kweichow Fu  (Szechwan).  It  lies  along  the  high  bank, 
and  the  lofty  city  wall  extends  in  a sort  of  wide  semi- 
circle up  the  bank  above  it,  enclosing  quite  a large 
space  of  cultivated  ground  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
town.  The  gates  are  closed  at  night,  and  no  one  can 
go  in  or  out  after  the  keys  have  been  carried  to  the 
magistrate’s  yamen. 

On  the  ninth  day  after  leaving  Ichang  we  came  to 
a village  which  in  the  distance  we  took  to  be  on  fire, 
owing  to  the  dense  clouds  of  smoke  rising  from  it. 
It  proved,  however,  to  be  one  of  the  famous  salt- 
springs,  and  had  only  emerged  from  the  river-bed 
about  a week  earlier,  owing  to  the  fall  of  the  water. 
The  people  had  at  once  set  to  work  eredling  huts 
alongside  it,  and  preparing  the  salt  for  use;  and  they 
live  there  till  the  spring,  when  the  rise  of  the  river 
drives  them  up  the  bank  again.  These  salt-springs  are 
one  of  the  most  valuable  products  of  the  province,  but 
the  principal  ones  are  nearer  the  centre  of  Szechwan, 
and  they  are  all  a Government  monopoly.  Dr.  Mac- 
gowan  states — as  an  illustration  of  the  extraordinary 
patient  perseverance  of  the  Chinaman — that  it  takes 
forty  years  in  some  cases  to  bore  a salt-well. 

Close  to  this  village  is  the  picturesque  city  of 
Kweichow  Fu,  extending  some  distance  along  the 
river-bank,  with  temples  and  palaces,  and  a Union 
Jack  flying  over  a mission-house,  which  rises  high 
above  the  city  wall.  The  steep  slope  below  it,  from 
which  the  river  had  so  recently  subsided,  was  already 

135 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

ploughed  ready  for  a crop  of  corn.  The  Chinese 
seem  always  on  the  watch  to  use  every  inch  of  ground 
available  for  cultivation:  they  never  seem  to  lose 
an  opportunity,  or  to  grudge  any  amount  of  trouble. 
We  climbed  up  the  bank  and  a flight  of  steps,  lead- 
ing through  a lofty  gateway  into  the  town.  The 
streets  were  narrow  and  dirty,  and  thronged  with 
people;  but  we  turned  aside  to  the  attractive  Union 
Jack,  where  we  met  with  a warm  welcome,  even  be- 
fore we  announced  that  we  were  bringing  up  belated 
stores  from  down  the  river.  We  set  out  almost  imme- 
diately to  visit  an  interesting  palace,  belonging  to  an 
Earl  who  had  become  famous  during  the  Taiping 
war — a case  of  “ la  carriere  ouverte  aux  talents.” 
The  fa9ade  and  walls  of  the  palace  were  curiously 
decorated  with  mosaic,  formed  from  broken  bits  of 
pottery.  There  are  shops  for  the  purchase  and  sale 
of  broken  fchinai  and  earthenware  for  this  express 
purpose. 

On  entering  the  courtyard  we  saw  handsome  square 
gilt  tablets — the  gift  of  the  Emperor  to  the  late  Earl 
— which  were  set  up  corner-wise  over  the  entrance 
to  an  inner  courtyard.  At  the  farther  end  of  this 
second  court  was  a sort  of  reception-room,  entirely 
open  in  front,  containing  chairs  and  tables  and  other 
beautiful  furniture  from  Canton,  a series  of  family 
portraits,  and  an  ancestral  tablet,  with  incense  sticks 
burning  in  front  of  it.  On  either  side  of  this  room 
were  doors  leading  into  the  living-rooms  of  the  family. 
We  wandered  through  side  courts  into  the  spacious 

136 


ch.  xiii  On  the  Y atigtxe 

garden,  laid  out  in  true  Chinese  style,  with  little 
stucco  fountains  and  pools  and  streams,  and  many 
summer-houses,  all  furnished  with  couches  for  the 
guests  attending  opium-smoking  parties.  There  were 
many  kinds  of  shrubs  and  trees,  some  brought  from 
long  distances ; also  pomelo  and  orange  trees  laden 
with  fruit.  A beautiful  oblong  tank  was  full  of  lotos 
plants,  and  had  a tiny  boat  on  it;  but  over  every- 
thing brooded  the  sadness  of  decay  and  the  memory 
of  a departed  glory. 

As  we  stood  talking  to  the  brilliantly  dressed 
daughters  of  the  house,  a young  cousin  came  in,  who 
spoke  excellent  English,  having  been  trained  at  St. 
John’s  College,  Shanghai,  and  he  proved  to  be  a friend 
of  Mr.  Ku’s.  He  offered  to  take  us  round  to  his 
father’s  palace,  which  was  close  by.  It  is  built  on 
exadlly  the  same  plan,  and  was  in  every  way  similar 
to  the  other;  but  we  noticed  one  curious  objedl  in  the 
reception-room — a large  rough  stone  behind  a screen 
under  the  ancestral  tablet.  This,  he  told  us,  was  a 
stone  used  for  divination  in  time  of  war,  and  above  it 
was  a most  curious  diagram  hanging  on  the  wall, 
representing  men  riding  on  tigers  ( = soldiers).  There 
was  also  a scroll  hanging  on  the  opposite  wall,  given 
to  the  family  by  the  Emperor  after  the  death  of  the 
young  man’s  father,  recording  the  eminent  deeds 
which  he  had  performed.  Among  the  curios  which 
he  showed  us  were  some  wooden  ornaments  formed 
out  of  little  shrubs,  which  had  been  trained  to  grow 
into  peculiar  shapes,  such  as  a lion,  an  old  man,  ©“c. ; 

137 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

these  are  particularly  admired  by  the  Chinese.  Some 
parts  of  the  decorations  were  quite  charming  in  colour 
and  in  design,  as  for  instance  the  double  doors,  de- 
corated with  golden  bats  on  a dark-green  background, 
and  the  gargoyles,  formed  like  fishes,  carved  in  stone. 
Altogether  it  was  a fascinating  place  and  a worthy 
setting  to  the  courtly  gentleman,  who  entertained  us 
hospitably  and  took  us  round  with  his  son.  Unfor- 
tunately, his  English  was  almost  as  limited  as  our 
Chinese.  I should  have  very  much  liked  to  do  his 
portrait,  but  dusk  was  coming  on  and  we  were  leaving 
early  next  morning. 

Two  rather  dreary  days  succeeded,  as  there  was  a 
west  wind  blowing,  which  took  all  the  colour  out  of 
the  landscape,  just  as  an  east  wind  does  at  home,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  added  colour  to  one’s  temper.  There 
is  really  much  sense  in  the  old  French  law,  which 
prescribed  special  leniency  of  judgment  in  the  case  of 
murder  and  suicide  committed  when  the  mistral  was 
blowing.  Sketching  was  out  of  the  question,  and  the 
poor  trackers  had  a hard  time — no  rest  all  day  long, 
for  the  wind  was  blowing  dead  in  our  teeth.  We 
laboriously  won  our  way  up  some  small  rapids,  but 
nothing  important  was  gained  and  we  travelled  very 

The  last  rapid  before  Wanhsien  is  the  worst,  and 
as  usual  we  got  out,  despite  the  reassuring  news  that, 
owing  to  the  considerable  fall  in  the  level  of  the  water, 
we  should  have  an  easy  ascent.  Our  luggage  was 
hastily  transferred  to  the  red-boat — as  we  imagined, 

138 


ch.  xiii  0/!  the  Yangtze 

to  be  taken  ashore  as  usual — and  we  then  landed,  to 
allow  our  boat  to  start  at  once,  for  there  were  no 
other  boats  waiting  ahead  of  us.  The  red-boat  men, 
however,  got  some  of  our  men  to  help  them,  and 
started  first.  We  stood  on  a rock  watching  her  come 
bravely  through  the  flood,  and  were  in  the  very  adt 
of  photographing  her,  when  she  seemed  to  stagger, 
the  men  gave  a great  shout,  dropped  the  towing-rope, 
the  water  dashed  over  her,  and  she  was  whirled  down 
the  stream  like  an  utterly  helpless  log.  We  were 
horrified  to  see  her  carried  down  and  out  of  sight 
round  a bend,  and  the  thought  of  our  luggage  added 
not  a little,  I must  admit,  to  our  dismay.  It  was 
some  time  before  the  two  men  on  board  succeeded  in 
getting  her  to  the  bank,  for  the  large  steering-oar  in 
front  had  snapped,  which  was  the  cause  of  the  disaster. 
Hence  the  shout  to  the  men  to  loose  the  towing-rope, 
or  she  would  have  gone  on  the  rocks.  About  an 
hour  later  the  men  came  back  to  us,  carrying  our 
luggage,  which  was  none  the  worse  for  the  wetting; 
but  they  told  us  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to 
accompany  us  any  farther,  as  it  would  take  some  time 
to  repair  the  damage.  We  regretfully  took  leave  of 
them,  as  the  men  had  quite  endeared  themselves  to 
us  by  the  kindness  and  courtesy  with  which  they  were 
always  on  the  alert  to  render  us  small  services.  Only 
the  night  previous  our  men  were  noisy  and  quarrel- 
some, and  I was  obliged  to  remonstrate  sharply.  At 
once  the  red-boat  captain  came  to  my  assistance,  and 
restored  peace  instantaneously.  I wrote  a note  of 

139 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

thanks  to  the  general  at  Ichang  for  the  captain  to 
give  him,  with  our  visiting-cards,  when  he  reported 
himself  on  his  arrival.  I also  gave  visiting-cards  to 
the  captain  for  himself,  as  nothing  seems  to  please  a 
Chinaman  more  than  this  small  courtesy,  together 
with  a lump  of  silver  to  be  divided  with  his  crew, 
and  he  received  them  with  a beaming  smile  and  a 
military  salute. 

After  the  accident  we  strolled  along  the  bank  for 
some  distance,  waiting  for  our  junk  to  come  up,  and 
were  much  amused  by  inspedling  a river-bank  village. 
The  whole  of  it  is  built  of  the  most  flimsy  materials, 
and  put  together  so  lightly  that  it  can  be  taken  down 
and  moved  to  another  spot  at  the  shortest  possible 
notice,  according  to  the  height  of  the  river.  Even 
the  god’s  shrine  is  thoroughly  perambulatory,  and 
is  dedicated  to  the  god  of  the  earth.  Many  of  the 
shanties  are  lofty  eredfions,  but  the  walls  and  roofs 
consist  entirely  of  mats  hung  on  to  poles,  which  are 
merely  tied  together  and  stuck  into  the  ground. 
There  was  quite  a good  village  street,  containing  a 
barber’s  shop,  a butcher’s,  a draper’s  (where  most 
attradfive  wadded  quilts  made  quite  a goodly  show), 
a chemist’s,  greengrocer’s,  (£?c. 

There  were  several  delightful  restaurants,  with 
pretty  bowls  and  natty  cooking  arrangements,  which 
made  us  long  to  purchase  and  experiment  with  them 
instead  of  using  our  primitive  stove,  where  my  bread 
refused  to  rise,  though  I never  failed  with  it  at  home. 
So  far,  it  can  only  be  considered  successful  for  making 

140 


ch.  xiii  On  the  T^angtxe 

poultices,  but  we  eat  a little  of  it  daily,  as  there 
is  no  sort  of  bread  which  we  should  find  palatable 
in  this  part  of  the  empire.  The  counters  of  the 
restaurants  had  many  tempting  dainties  displayed 
upon  them,  especially  tiny  saucers  full  of  relishes  ; 
among  them  we  saw  several  Escoffier  sauce  bottles, 
but  no  doubt  the  original  contents  had  disappeared 
long  ago ! 

The  women  of  the  place  seemed  nice  and  friendly 
and  clean,  and  were  dressed  in  the  gayest  colours  of 
the  rainbow;  green,  scarlet,  blue,  and  black  was  quite 
an  ordinary  combination  on  one  person.  They  wear 
tight  wadded  trousers  to  just  below  the  knee,  and 
from  there  to  the  ankle  the  leg  is  neatly  bound. 
Often  the  legs  are  very  thin,  and  look  like  sticks, 
while  the  out-turned  tiny  feet  and  stiff  knees  all 
combine  to  give  the  appearance  of  goats’  legs.  While 
I was  sketching  the  little  shrine  one  came  and  stood 
beside  it,  with  a very  evident  desire  to  be  included  in 
the  sketch.  I at  once  took  advantage  of  this  unusual 
occurrence — they  generally  flee  diredfly  they  see  I 
am  doing  them — but  as  the  spectators  laughed  at 
her,  she  kept  folding  her  arms  across  her  face.  She 
had  a large  basket  on  her  back,  and  many  women 
carry  their  babies  in  this  way. 

As  one  gets  farther  west  the  climate  changes — 
growing  milder — and  the  vegetation  is  different. 
Beautiful  groups  of  bamboos  are  frequently  seen,  and 
crops  of  sugar-cane  in  patches  of  vivid  green  suggest 
the  month  of  May  rather  than  December.  You 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

reach  the  native  home  of  oranges,  and  they  seem  to 
have  a better  flavour  than  anywhere  else. 

Mr.  Ku  came  to  me  with  a long  face  one  day,  to 
say  that  he  had  been  told  that  the  natives  of  Szechwan 
were  barbarians,  “ and  do  you  not  think  that  Liu 
and  I had  better  wear  suits  of  uniform  ? ” We  had 
no  hesitation  as  to  the  answer — a decided  veto,  having 
already  discussed  the  question  of  carrying  firearms, 
many  of  our  friends  having  strongly  urged  us  to  do 
it.  I am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  it  is  apt  to 
lead  to  trouble,  rather  than  avert  it,  and  that  it  is 
safer  to  have  none,  especially  when  you  have  not 
been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  use  of  them.  My 
friend  suggested  that  if  you  shot  one  Chinaman  there 
would  be  ten  to  kill  you,  and  a smile  would  be  at 
least  as  efficacious  as  a revolver. 

The  last  part  of  our  river  journey  was  rather  dis- 
turbing, owing  to  our  twice  dashing  upon  the  rocks ; 
but  happily  no  serious  damage  was  done,  and  we  had 
an  excellent  opportunity  of  seeing  how  these  people 
set  about  repairs.  The  water  was  coming  in  rather 
fast  under  the  floor  of  our  cabin,  so  the  carpenter 
took  up  the  boards,  baled  out  the  superfluous  water, 
and  stufFed  the  hole  with  cotton  wadding,  which  he 
extrafted  from  his  winter  coat.  This  he  adjusted 
neatly  in  the  hole  by  means  of  his  chopstick,  and 
finally  put  a plaster  over  it,  composed  of  the  sole  of 
an  old  shoe,  which  he  tore  up  for  the  purpose,  and 
nailed  it  over  the  spot.  A good  deal  of  baling  had 
to  be  done,  and  no  sooner  was  order  restored  in  the 

142 


ch.  xiii  On  the  ITangtxe 

cabin  than  we  had  a second  collision,  and  the  flooring 
had  to  be  taken  up  again  to  see  if  there  was  any  fresh 
mischief  Happily  there  was  none. 

Two  sets  of  our  friends  have  each  been  wrecked 
three  times  this  season  on  their  way  up  the  river, 
and  on  one  occasion  the  boat  broke  completely  in 
half  Every  one  hastened  to  save  what  they  could, 
except  a Chinaman,  who  was  observed  busily  washing 
his  clothes  with  the  soap  that  was  oozing  out  of  one 
of  the  cases  of  stores  ! No  goods  are  worth  insuring 
on  the  Yangtze,  as  the  insurance  rates  are  so  high,  and 
it  is  so  difficult — often  impossible — to  prove  what  has 
been  lost.  In  the  case  when  the  boat  was  a total 
wreck,  our  friends  were  obliged  to  encamp  for  a week 
on  the  river-bank  in  a hut  which  they  constructed 
out  of  their  stores  and  luggage,  with  the  sail  of  the 
boat  spread  over  the  top  by  way  of  roof — a some- 
what ineffectual  one  when  the  rain  came  pouring 
down. 

The  river-banks  are  studded  with  temples,  pagodas, 
and  shrines,  and  the  people  in  this  part  of  the  country 
are  far  more  assiduous  in  their  worship  than  anywhere 
else  : we  continually  noticed  them  offering  incense 
or  paper  money  to  the  gods.  The  temples  are  less 
interesting  than  in  the  north,  and  ugly  in  colour, 
mostly  a cold  grey  ornamented  with  black  and  white, 
and  they  are  also  less  artistic  architecturally. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  we  reached  W anhsien,  whence 
we  had  decided  to  travel  overland,  though  we  were 
sorry  to  miss  seeing  the  celebrated  salt-wells,  which 

143 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiii 

we  should  have  passed  if  we  had  taken  the  other 
more  frequented  route  to  Chengtu.  We  regretfully 
said  good-bye  to  our  boatmen,  and  made  the  eighteen 
men  thoroughly  happy  and  content  with  a gratuity 
of  ys.  to  be  divided  amongst  them.  We  notice  that 
the  Chinese  always  seem  more  pleased  and  satisfied 
when  they  get  the  usual  tip  than  when  they  get 
more.  Wanhsien  looked  doubly  attradtive  to  us 
from  the  fadl  that  we  saw  a British  gunboat  lying  on 
the  farther  side  of  the  river,  but  in  itself  the  town  is 
eminently  pidturesque,  though  dirty.  A camel-back 
bridge,  spanning  a stream  just  before  it  entered  the 
Yangtze,  was  perhaps  the  prettiest  bit  of  all.  Below 
it  were  endless  yards  of  cotton  hanging  out  to  dry, 
after  being  dyed.  This  was  a sight  with  which  we 
soon  became  familiar,  passing  through  many  a village 
where  the  main  street  was  draped  in  this  way. 


144 


CAMKI.-P.ACK  I'.KIDCE 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Szechwan  High-roads 

SOME  friends  who  preceded  us  up  the  Yangtze 
had  arranged  for  sedan-chairs  to  be  made  in  readi- 
ness for  our  arrival,  so  we  were  able  to  start  on 
Monday  morning  at  7.45  on  our  journey  to  Chengtu, 
the  capital  of  the  province  of  Szechwan.  We  made 
quite  an  imposing  array.  The  party  was  arranged  as 
follows  : first,  two  soldiers  (our  military  escort)  ; then 
my  chair  carried  by  four  men  ; my  friend’s  ditto  ; Mr. 
Ku’s  chair  carried  by  two  men,  as  it  was  a much  lighter 
one  than  ours  ; then  Liu’s,  which  was  a similar  one 
(servants  are  always  supposed  to  walk,  but  as  Liu  was 
from  Peking,  and  totally  unaccustomed  to  walking, 
we  thought  it  best  to  let  him  ride) ; then  came  four 
coolies  carrying  luggage  (each  man  reckons  to  carry 
107  lbs.) ; and  a head  coolie,  who  is  responsible  for  all 
the  others,  brought  up  the  rear.  The  total  cost  of  the 
seventeen  coolies  for  fourteen  days  was  90,100  cash 
(^9),  and  the  soldiers  each  received  2id.  per  day  wine 
money.  The  soldiers  were  most  attentive,  and  would 
hardly  leave  our  side  except  to  go  ahead  and  engage 
a room  in  the  inn  and  have  it  made  ready  for  us — 
namely,  swept  out  and  clean  mats  put  on  the  bed- 
steads. They  kept  an  eye  on  the  luggage,  though 

145  K 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

that  is  really  unnecessary  when  there  is  a head  man, 
as  it  is  his  duty,  and  he  is  responsible  for  everything. 
It  is  only  when  you  have  as  many  as  fifteen  coolies 
that  a head  man  is  considered  requisite,  but  it  is  a 
great  advantage  in  any  case  to  have  one. 

The  military  escort  is  practically  compulsory  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  for  things  are  not  very 
settled,  though  foreigners  are  much  better  treated 
than  they  were  a few  years  ago.  Our  soldiers  were 
most  assiduous  in  their  attentions,  rushing  to  fetch 
hot  water  the  moment  we  arrived  at  an  inn,  and  eager 
to  wash  up  our  plates  after  meals,  although  we  had  a 
servant  whose  main  duty  it  was  to  do  this. 

We  had  been  told  that  Szechwan  was  flat,  so  we  had 
a pleasant  surprise  in  finding  that  our  route  lay  almost 
the  whole  way  through  hilly,  not  to  say  mountainous 
country,  and  that  the  mountains  were  beautifully 
wooded.  On  the  second  day  we  reached  Liang  Shan, 
a pretty  little  town  in  a valley  surrounded  by  steep 
hills  ; and  after  we  left  it  the  scenery  was  particularly 
beautiful.  We  passed  through  a thick  forest  of  bam- 
boos, whose  pale,  graceful,  feathery  foliage  contrasted 
finely  with  the  tall,  dark  pine-trees.  The  way  led 
straight  up  a precipitous  mountain  by  thousands  of 
well-made  stone  steps.  It  seemed  as  if  we  should  never 
reach  the  top,  and  the  coolies  must  have  thoroughly 
appreciated  the  faCl  that  we  were  British  travellers, 
and  not  Chinese;  for  the  Chinese  sometimes  walk 
down-hill  when  it  is  very  steep,  but  rarely  indeed  up- 
hill. When  we  asked  Mr.  Ku  if  he  were  accustomed 

146 


ch.  xiv  S%echwan  High-roads 

to  walking,  he  said,  “ Oh  yes,  I can  walk  two  and  a 
half  miles,”  so  evidently  that  is  considered  a long  dis- 
tance. In  reality  he  proved  to  be  a first-rate  walker, 
and  was  soon  able  to  do  several  hours  a day  without 
fatigue.  The  banks  were  full  of  all  sorts  of  lovely 
ferns  and  mosses,  reminding  us  of  the  most  beautiful 
ferneries  (under  glass)  at  home  ; but  here  was  of  course 
the  charm  of  nature  instead  of  art.  There  was  evi- 
dently a great  variety  of  flowers  in  the  spring-time  ; 
masses  of  orchids,  and  anemones,  violets,  and  other 
plants  we  recognised,  but  there  were  far  more  whose 
species  were  unknown  to  us. 

When  we  reached  the  summit  at  last  there  was  a 
wonderful  panoramic  view  of  hill  and  plain  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach  ; miles  upon  miles  of  shimmering 
rice-fields,  with  trees  and  farmsteads  reflected  in  them. 
A ceaseless  stream  of  coolies  passed  us,  carrying  various 
kinds  of  loads  suspended  from  each  end  of  long  sticks, 
which  they  carried  across  their  shoulders.  The  loads 
were  mainly  baskets,  paper,  coal,  hand-warmers,  and 
pottery  In  this  distridf.  The  hand-warmers  are  very 
neat  ; they  are  made  of  bamboo  baskets  containing 
a little  earthenware  bowl  for  charcoal.  The  people 
sometimes  sit  on  them,  or  carry  them  in  their  hands, 
or  even  hang  them  under  their  coats,  either  before 
or  behind — which  at  first  aroused  our  pity,  for  we 
took  them  to  be  suffering  from  some  terrible  growth  ! 

The  Szechwan  inns  are  not  at  all  to  our  taste,  nor 
do  they  compare  favourably  with  those  of  Shantung, 
being  mostly  in  bad  repair  and  with  paper  hanging 

147 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

in  shreds  from  the  window-frames.  There  are  large 
holes  in  the  floors — mainly  used  for  emptying  slops 
through,  on  to  the  pigs  living  below — and  decidedly 
perilous  to  the  unwary  traveller.  The  month  of 
December,  however,  is  the  best  time  for  visiting  these 
inns,  as  the  rats  are  then  the  only  a6Hve  foes  ; but 
they  are  painfully  bold.  I turned  a sudden  gleam  of 
eleftric  light  from  my  private  lantern  on  one  of  the 
rats  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  startled  him  a 
good  deal,  but  the  scare  wore  off  all  too  soon.  Hosie 
has  translated  a Chinese  verse  which  he  met  with  in 
a Szechwan  inn,  and  added  a second  one  of  his  own. 
He  says  that  the  Chinaman’s  own  description  errs  on 
the  side  of  leniency,  and  I think  he  is  quite  correct. 

“Within  this  room  you’ll  find  the  rats 
At  least  a goodly  score ; 

Three  catties  each  they’re  bound  to  weigh, 

Or  e’en  a little  more. 

At  night  you’ll  find  a myriad  bugs 
That  stink  and  crawl  and  bite; 

If  doubtful  of  the  truth  of  this, 

Get  up  and  strike  a light. 

Within,  without,  vile  odours  dense 
Assail  the  unwary  nose  ; 

Behind  the  grunter  squeaks  and  squeals 
And  baffles  all  repose. 

Add  clouds  of  tiny,  buzzing  things. 

Mosquitoes — if  you  please, 

And  if  the  sum  is  not  enough. 

Why,  bless  me  ! there  are  fleas.” 


After  passing  through  most  beautiful  scenery  for 
five  days,  we  came  to  a comparatively  dull  part  of  the 

148 


ch.  xiv  Szechwan  High-roads 

country.  Still,  there  were  plenty  of  interesting  things 
to  look  at,  and  continually  something  fresh  which  we 
had  never  seen  before.  The  women  wear  very  prettily 
embroidered  clothes  (worked  in  a sort  of  cross-stitch), 
though  often  appallingly  dirty  ; and  the  clothes  of  the 
little  children  are  lavishly  decorated  with  delightful 
designs  of  butterflies  and  animals,  and  monsters,  besides 
having  worked  pockets.  I adlually  saw  a toddler  with 
a pocket-handkerchief,  but  I am  convinced  he  did  not 
know  the  proper  use  of  it.  If  only  there  were  not 
such  a terrible  dearth  of  these  everywhere  ! I pre- 
sented some  to  Liu  as  a New  Year’s  gift,  but  the 
result  was  not  altogether  satisfactory,  as  the  gift  did 
not  include  lessons  in  the  use  of  them. 

It  was  only  at  the  close  of  five  days’  journey  from 
Wanhsien  that  we  met  the  first  beasts  of  burden 
(other  than  human  ones).  They  were  all  cattle,  and 
there  were  quite  large  numbers  of  them,  neatly  shod 
with  straw  sandals  like  those  which  the  men  wear. 
The  crops  were  much  more  advanced  here,  and  we 
even  saw  a field  of  beans  in  full  flower.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  corn,  some  peas  and  sugar-cane,  but  most 
of  the  land  is  devoted  to  the  growing  of  rice,  and  is 
under  water  at  the  present  season  of  the  year.  These 
fields  are  not  large,  and  on  each  narrow  little  bank 
enclosing  them  there  is  a fringe  of  beans  planted. 
The  mandarin  oranges  grow  extremely  well,  and  are 
of  a most  lovely  colour.  The  trees  are  often  so  heavily 
laden  that  they  look  as  if  they  would  break  under  the 
strain.  Every  wayside  stall  has  quantities  of  oranges 

149 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

for  sale  at  a merely  nominal  price.  One  cannot  but 
suppose  they  are  indigenous,  and  they  certainly  require 
little  or  no  cultivation.  The  houses  in  this  part  look 
very  pretty  with  their  lath  and  plaster  walls  and  over- 
hanging eaves,  but  they  are  bare  and  dreary  inside,  as 
they  rarely  have  any  windows  ; what  little  light  pene- 
trates comes  from  the  door  and  from  holes  in  the  roof. 
The  high-road  has  a most  curious  way  of  running 
straight  through  the  houses  (mostly  restaurants),  as 
seen  in  the  accompanying  sketch,  in  which  also  it 
may  be  noticed  that  the  smoke  issues  from  cracks  in 
the  walls.  Chimneys  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence 
throughout  the  empire.  I think  this  may  be  the 
reason  why  photographs  of  Chinese  towns  look  so  un- 
real to  us.  Sometimes  you  think  as  you  pass  through 
a doorway  that  you  are  entering  an  inn,  whereas  it 
proves  to  be  a village  street,  completely  covered  in  by 
mats,  stretched  on  rods  from  roof  to  roof,  and  making 
the  streets  quite  dark  in  broad  daylight. 

The  people  seem  friendly  and  good-tempered,  and 
we  passed  one  day  through  a distridt  where  nearly  all 
the  women  had  unbound  feet  ; but  this  is  the  only  one 
I have  ever  come  across  in  north,  south,  east,  or  west. 
Even  the  women  working  in  the  fields  have  bound 
feet,  and  it  is  astonishing  how  fast  they  are  able  to  get 
about  and  what  an  amount  of  work  they  do.  To  be 
sure,  they  often  carry  little  stools  to  sit  on  while  they 
are  weeding  or  planting  in  the  fields.  Sometimes  they 
have  a baby  tied  on  their  backs,  but  not  infrequently 
this  duty  is  relegated  to  the  children,  and  you  may 

150 


szKfnwAN  hk;h\va\ 


ch.  xiv  S'zechwan  High-roads 

see  a toddler  of  not  more  than  four  or  five  years  old 
carrying  another  nearly  as  large  as  himself,  and  trying 
to  soothe  its  cries  by  swaying  to  and  fro. 

We  found  it  most  important  to  keep  to  the  regular 
daily  stages  while  travelling  in  the  interior,  but  some- 
times this  is  impossible,  and  then  the  most  villainous 
inns  have  to  be  faced.  We  were  delayed  by  rain, 
which  made  the  roads  extremely  slippery  and  difficult. 
My  men  fell  no  fewer  than  three  times  one  day,  and  on 
one  occasion  they  flung  the  chair  heavily  on  its  side, 
smashing  the  windows  ; happily,  I escaped  with  only 
scratches.  The  glass  windows  should  have  been  re- 
placed at  their  expense,  but,fortunatelyfor  their  purses, 
I felt  that  it  was  safer  to  be  without  windows  after 
such  an  experience. 

On  the  slippery  days  we  usually  began  by  walking, 
and  as  we  skirted  the  hillsides,  gradually  climbing 
upwards,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way  the  sounds  of 
labour  rising  from  the  valley  reached  us  clearly.  Often 
a heavy  hoar-frost  lay  on  everything,  and  the  sun  had 
been  up  for  some  hours  before  it  had  power  to  dispel 
it.  Nevertheless,  fellow-travellers  found  it  strong 
enough  to  warrant  the  putting  up  of  European 
umbrellas.  Certain  foreign  articles  are  increasingly 
used  by  the  Chinese,  and  the  umbrella  is  a special 
favourite.  We,  on  the  other  hand — delighted  with 
novelty  and  pidturesqueness — had  taken  to  Chinese 
umbrellas,  which  were  certainly  much  prettier, though 
rather  heavy.  The  enamelled  basin  is  especially  at- 
tradtive  to  the  Chinese,  and  is  perhaps  the  most  used 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

of  all  foreign  articles.  A pair  of  English  boots  may 
frequently  be  seen  fastened  on  to  the  luggage — I think 
they  are  too  precious  to  be  used  on  the  high-road  and 
are  reserved  for  the  cities — and  we  have  met  soldiers 
wearing  European  gloves  as  a curious  addition  to  their 
very  unofficial-looking  dress. 

Yesterday  our  men  found  it  so  warm  that  they  en- 
tirely uncovered  their  right  arms  and  shoulders,  like 
the  images  of  the  Buddha.  When  the  people  want 
to  take  their  coats  off,  they  take  off  three,  four,  or 
five  together,  like  a plaster,  and  put  them  on  in  the 
same  way. 

In  this  distridt  the  irrigation  is  done  by  means  of 
large  wheels  worked  like  a treadmill  by  two  or  three 
men  at  a time,  and  there  are  great  numbers  of  these 
wheels  to  be  seen  ; but,  as  is  so  commonly  the  case,  the 
custom  is  purely  local,  and  we  only  saw  them  for  a day 
or  two.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  it  were  specially  char- 
adteristic  of  China  to  have  customs  and  appliances 
confined  to  the  most  limited  areas,  outside  which  they 
are  not  to  be  seen.  This  adds  very  much  to  the  in- 
terest of  slow  travelling,  as  it  keeps  you  constantly  on 
the  watch,  and  you  are  rewarded  by  always  seeing 
something  fresh.  The  trying  thing  about  it  is  that  if 
you  do  not  buy  the  thing  you  want  diredtly  you  see 
it,  most  likely  you  will  never  have  another  chance. 

It  is  amusing  to  watch  the  harvesting  of  the  peanuts 
which  is  now  going  on.  Owing  to  the  clayey  nature 
of  the  soil,  it  is  impossible  to  sieve  them  as  in  Shan- 
tung, so  whole  families  establish  themselves  in  a field, 

152 


ch.  xiv  S%echwan  High-roads 

attended  by  their  poultry  and  pigs,  which  are  picketed 
out  over  the  surface  of  the  ground.  This  has  been 
already  dug  up  and  cleared  by  the  gatherers,  but  the 
family  gleans  what  has  been  overlooked,  and  the 
poultry  and  pigs  again  glean  what  they  may  have  left. 
Little  Chinese  children  sit  in  baskets,  but  at  a very 
tender  age  they  begin  to  share  the  toils  of  their  elders. 
It  is  astonishing  to  see  the  loads  of  salt,  coal,  or  fire- 
wood which  some  of  these  tiny  creatures  manage  to 
carry  with  a manly  energy.  There  must  be  a good 
deal  of  country  life  in  this  distridt,  for  there  are 
numbers  of  nice-looking  farms  situated  on  the  hill- 
tops (as  in  the  sketch  of  “ Sunlight  and  Mist  ”),  sur- 
rounded by  haystacks  and  vegetable  gardens  and 
clumps  of  the  useful  bamboo.  The  bamboo  seems  to 
be  used  for  every  possible  purpose,  and  many  of  the 
implements  made  from  it  are  as  ingenious  as  they  are 
simple.  Take,  for  instance,  the  rake  ; one  end  of  the 
bamboo  rod  is  split,  the  ends  bent,  and  a tiny  bit  of 
plaiting  spreads  the  prongs  out  fan  shape.  A greater 
variety  of  baskets,  too,  is  made  from  bamboos  than 
I have  ever  seen  elsewhere,  and  they  are  used  for  a 
much  larger  number  of  purposes  than  at  home. 

As  we  plodded  along  the  rice-fields  one  morning, 
after  about  an  hour’s  walk  we  came  to  a wayside  booth, 
where  our  men  stopped  for  their  first  snack  of  food, 
and  some  particularly  fresh-looking  eggs  tempted  us 
to  join  their  meal.  The  salesman  proceeded  to  poach 
them,  and  would  have  added  sugar  if  we  had  not 
stopped  him.  Declining  chopsticks,  I was  provided 

153 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

with  a nice  little  pottery  spoon,  and  my  friend  took 
possession  of  a saucer  about  the  size  of  a penny 
(commonly  used  for  sauce)  for  the  same  purpose. 
Long  strings  of  mules  passed  us,  carrying  taxes  in  the 
shape  of  small  basket-loads  of  bullion,  accompanied 
by  a military  escort.  The  leading  mules  were  gaily 
decorated  with  flags,  showing  that  they  were  on 
government  duty.  The  road  was  bad  and  slippery, 
and  our  men  soon  decided  to  shorten  the  day’s  journey 
by  one-third,  which  we  declined  to  allow,  having 
already  spared  their  strength  by  walking  for  several 
hours  ; we  agreed,  however,  to  shorten  the  stage  to  a 
certain  extent.  The  natural  result  was  that  we  found 
a horrible  inn  with  only  two  tiny  rooms  at  our  dis- 
posal, an  inner  one  being  already  occupied  by  several 
people.  We  agreed  to  remain  there  only  on  one 
condition — that  these  people  should  be  put  elsewhere  ; 
and  we  found  the  three  cells  were  more  than  filled  by 
ourselves  and  our  staff.  There  were  no  windows,  but 
there  was  plenty  of  ventilation.  The  house  was  like 
a large  barn,  the  end  of  which  was  divided  off  by  a 
thin  partition,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a round 
door.  This  part  was  again  subdivided  into  three 
cubicles.  The  outer  part  of  the  barn  was  like  a big 
restaurant,  and  after  a while  the  many  inhabitants 
rolled  themselves  up  like  sausages  in  the  wadded 
quilts  provided  by  the  inn,  and  bestowed  themselves 
as  comfortably  as  might  be  on  tables  or  benches,  and 
comparative  silence  reigned  for  a few  hours.  Happily, 
the  rain  stopped,  for  there  was  quite  enough  open 


ch.  xiv  Sxechwan  High-roads 

space  in  the  roof  above  my  head  and  in  the  walls  for 
us  to  study  astronomy  had  it  been  a clear  night.  We 
found  it  unnecessary  to  have  our  pan  of  charcoal  taken 
out  at  nights,  for  there  was  always  a lovely  breeze  to 
carry  away  any  fumes  there  might  be. 

In  this  distridf  the  beds  are  made  of  straw,  covered 
with  a bamboo  matting,  and  are  not  uncomfortable  ; 
but  we  always  felt  happier  when  we  got  a plain 
wooden  bedstead  like  a large,  low  table. 

We  passed  a night  at  an  interesting  large  town 
called  Shun  King  Fu,  and  were  greatly  charmed  with 
the  lovely  silks  we  saw  being  made  there,  and  the 
silver  work.  Everywhere  the  people  were  busy  with 
the  various  processes  of  silk-making.  Hand-looms, 
of  course,  are  used,  and  we  saw  the  most  exquisite 
golden  shades  of  silk  in  all  stages  of  manufadture. 
It  is,  however,  never  sold  in  its  natural  golden  colour, 
or  white  (as  that  is  the  Chinese  mourning),  unless 
some  European  succeeds  in  getting  hold  of  a piece  in 
its  unfinished  state.  Some  of  the  natural  dyes  are 
wonderfully  brilliant,  but  unfortunately  none  of  them 
seemed  to  be  fast  colours.  The  red  and  yellow 
vegetable  dyes  and  indigo  are  grown  in  the  province 
of  Szechwan,  but,  sad  to  say,  aniline  dyes  have 
been  introduced,  and  are  becoming  more  and  more 
common. 

The  missionaries  who  were  entertaining  us  kindly 
sent  out  to  a silk  merchant  to  bring  pieces  for  us  to 
seledt  from,  as  it  is  not  very  usual  for  ladies  to  go 
out  shopping  in  this  city.  When  we  had  chosen 

15s 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

what  we  wanted,  the  silk  had  to  be  weighed,  instead 
of  measured,  to  ascertain  what  the  price  was.  The 
merchant,  who  brought  lovely  embroidery  silks  for 
sale,  had  neat  little  scales  in  a case  with  which  to 
weigh  the  skeins.  A long  discussion  as  to  the  price 
ensued,  as  it  had  gone  up  since  our  hosts  bought 
similar  silks  a month  before,  and  no  valid  reason 
could  be  produced  for  the  change.  Of  course 
the  system  of  bargaining  is  universal,  and  we  were 
thankful  to  have  some  one  to  tell  us  what  the  price 
ought  to  have  been  and  to  do  the  bargaining  for  us. 
Next  the  silversmith  was  summoned,  and  he  brought 
a trayful  of  various  silver  ornaments,  ready  to  be 
inlaid  with  kingfishers’  feathers.  This  is  an  art 
peculiar  to  China  ; in  fadl,  no  one  but  a Chinaman 
would  have  the  patience  requisite  for  doing  it.  The 
effeft  is  that  of  the  most  brilliant,  iridescent,  blue- 
green  enamel,  and  usually  beads  or  red-coloured  glass 
or  coral  are  introduced  instead  of  jewels.  It  is  par- 
ticularly effective  when  combined  with  jade.  This 
jewelry  was  also  sold  by  weight,  and  we  had  to  leave 
our  purchases  to  be  “ feathered  ” and  sent  after  us,  as 
everything  of  that  sort  is  only  made  to  order.  Brides 
frequently  wear  a sort  of  crown  made  of  silver  and 
kingfishers’  feathers,  which  looks  extremely  effedtive. 
There  are  some  fine  examples  of  this  work  in  the 
Chinese  Section  of  the  South  Kensington  Museum. 

We  were  told  that  we  must  make  an  early  start 
next  day,  as  it  was  a very  long  stage — between  thirty 
and  thirty-five  miles — so  we  were  up  betimes,  and 

156 


ch.  xiv  Szechwan  High-roads 

ready  at  six  o’clock.  Luck  was  decidedly  against 
us.  First  one  of  the  coolies  said  he  was  ill  and  could 
not  go,  so  another  had  to  be  got,  which  delayed  us 
nearly  an  hour.  The  morning  was  very  grey,  and  a 
cold  drizzle  soon  set  in.  My  chair-bearers  fell  down 
even  before  we  got  outside  the  city,  and  the  road 
became  more  and  more  sticky  every  moment.  The 
men  hate  cold  water,  and  had  to  walk  round  every 
puddle,  which  took  up  a great  deal  of  time.  The 
ground  is  composed  of  a particularly  sticky  clay, 
which  is  perhaps  the  reason  why  not  only  the  cattle 
but  also  the  funny  little  black  pigs  wear  straw 
sandals  when  they  travel. 

After  our  chairs  had  been  upset  more  than  once  we 
decided  that  it  was  less  unpleasant  to  walk,  and  the 
soldiers  came  valiantly  to  the  rescue  when  the  road 
was  specially  difficult,  as  in  the  case  of  long  flights  of 
slippery  steps.  Sometimes  they  gave  us  a hand,  and 
sometimes  they  clutched  an  elbow  to  save  us.  The 
descriptions  of  slippery  places  and  the  perils  of  the 
road,  as  given  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  were  perpetually 
before  our  mental  vision.  Nothing  could  more  accu- 
rately describe  Chinese  roads  in  wet  weather.  The 
coolies  tied  little  metal  things  on  to  their  sandals, 
which  was  somewhat  of  a help,  but  we  felt  almost 
thankful  when  at  midday  the  rain  settled  into  a 
steady  downpour;  for,  though  it  was  rather  dreary,  it 
was  less  slippery.  There  were  a large  number  of  chairs 
on  the  road,  and  some  as  important-looking  as  our  own. 
This  was  the  only  bit  of  the  journey  when  we  travelled 

157 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

like  mandarins,  but  we  lacked  the  smart  military  uni- 
forms of  the  mandarins’  coolies  ; ours  were  the  most 
disreputable,  ragged-looking  crew,  and  much  less  satis- 
faftory  as  carriers  than  those  we  had  in  Shantung  or 
Yunnan.  In  the  nine  days  that  we  had  been  travel- 
ling from  Wanhsien  we  had  only  once  met  a four- 
bearer  chair,  but  now  we  were  nearing  the  capital — 
Chengtu — the  road  was  much  more  crowded  with 
traffic  of  all  sorts.  The  last  stage  of  the  journey  is 
through  comparatively  level  country.  After  a break- 
neck descent  from  the  mountains  we  entered  the  plain 
in  which  Chengtu  is  situated.  It  is  about  ninety  miles 
in  length  by  forty  broad,  and  has  been  well  described 
as  a garden.  Colonel  Manifold  estimates  that  it  con- 
tains a population  of  1700  to  the  square  mile,  and 
there  are  seventeen  cities  in  it.  The  old  familiar  groan 
of  wheelbarrows  greeted  our  ears  once  more,  though 
the  type  is  slightly  different  here  from  that  of  Shan- 
tung ; they  are  much  smaller  and  only  accommodate 
one  person,  or  (as  we  frequently  saw)  one  fat  pig,  lying 
on  his  back,  with  his  legs  in  the  air.  The  seat  is 
immediately  behind  the  wheel,  and  it  looks  decidedly 
comic  to  see  a woman,  wearing  tight  pink  trousers, 
with  a leg  cocked  jauntily  on  either  side  of  the  wheel. 

In  this  part  of  the  country  we  passed  through 
villages  much  more  frequently,  and  the  people  had  a 
busier  air.  There  are  markets  held  every  few  days  in 
one  or  other  of  the  villages,  so  that  we  continually  met 
people  coming  from  them  laden  with  their  spoils. 
They  kept  passing  us  on  the  road  wearing  paper  caps 

158 


SUNl.IC.HT  AND  MIST  IN  THK  MOUNTAINS 


ch.  xiv  Szechwan  High-roads 

over  their  hats,  and  on  inquiry  we  learnt  that  this  was 
done  to  preserve  their  pristine  freshness.  The  fields 
were  full  of  people  weeding,  and  they  looked  very 
comfortable,  seated  on  their  little  stools,  and  with 
warming-pans  between  their  feet  ; for  it  was  the  week 
before  Christmas,  and  the  weather  was  growing  cold. 
The  minute  kind  of  care  the  peasants  here  give  to  their 
crops  is  most  interesting,  each  individual  plant  in  a 
field  being  carefully  attended  to  and  manured.  Each 
member  of  a family  seems  to  share  in  the  toil  and  to 
have  implements  suited  to  his  or  her  size,  some  of  them 
the  “ cutest  ” little  weapons  imaginable.  The  people 
look  well  fed  and  attended  to,  but  their  clothing  is  often 
a network  of  rags,  and  their  houses  are  singularly  dark 
and  forbidding.  If  there  is  any  scarcity  through  un- 
favourable crops,  they  suffer  immediately  and  acutely, 
as  agriculture  is  the  most  important  industry  of  the 
province.  The  men  have  such  long  pipes  that  they 
frequently  use  them  as  walking-sticks.  Often  the 
women  came  round  and  smilingly  interrogated  us. 
Then  we  went  through  an  amusing  dumb  conversa- 
tion of  the  most  friendly  sort.  The  subjedf  is  usually 
the  same — -f^et — and  they  never  fail  to  admire  our 
English  boots,  if  not  our  feet.  We,  on  our  side,  ex- 
press much  admiration  of  the  exquisite  embroidery  of 
their  shoes,  though  we  do  not  admire  their  feet.  Every- 
where they  seem  to  think  we  must  be  dodlors,  and  they 
come  and  explain  what  a pain  they  have  in  the  region 
of  the  digestion.  We  administer  a harmless  and  com- 
forting dose  of  ginger,  and  they  swallow  it  with  the 

159 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xiv 

utmost  faith,  which  we  hope  may  cause  it  to  be  doubly 
efficacious.  In  any  case  it  is  a sign  of  our  goodwill, 
and  establishes  a friendly  feeling  among  the  people, 
and  I do  not  see  that  it  can  do  any  harm. 

We  reached  Chengtu  on  the  morning  of  the  four- 
teenth day,  and  spent  a full  hour  wandering  in  search 
of  the  English  missionary’s  house,  on  whose  kind 
hospitality  we  were  reckoning  ; for  there  are  many 
missions  in  this  large  city,  and  our  men  at  once 
made  for  the  most  imposing,  which,  needless  to  say, 
is  American. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  people  at  home  to  hear 
that  travellers  habitually  swoop  down  on  missions, 
often  without  even  giving  notice  beforehand,  and 
are  invariably  welcomed  with  courtesy  and  kindness. 
Travelling  in  China  would  be  a much  more  difficult 
matter  than  it  is  if  it  were  not  for  the  ungrudging 
helpfulness  and  hospitality  of  the  missionaries.  Those 
to  whom  we  had  been  directed  were  unable  to  take 
us  in,  on  account  of  illness,  but  had  made  arrange- 
ments for  us  to  be  entertained  at  the  Friends’  mission, 
and  helped  us  in  many  other  ways. 


i6o 


CITY  GATE.  CHKNGTU 


CHAPTER  XV 


Chengtu 

CHENGTU  is  unquestionably  the  cleanest  city 
in  China,  and  probably  is  the  most  progressive 
and  enlightened  of  any  purely  native  city. 
The  streets  are  broad  and  well  kept,  and  the  foreigner 
can  walk  anywhere  without  the  slightest  fear  of 
molestation.  At  almost  every  street  corner  there  is  a 
policeman,  and  many  of  them  have  sentry-boxes.  They 
are  neatly  dressed  in  a sort  of  European  uniform,  and 
are  decidedly  clean  and  civil.  They  wear  a kind  of 
small  black  sailor-hat,  and  the  smarter  ones  wear  black 
thread  gloves  of  native  manufacture  and  carry  stout 
walking-sticks.  Altogether,  they  are  the  best  type 
of  police  we  met.  There  are  no  beggars  with  their 
hideous  whine  and  incomparable  dirt.  This  is  a 
magnificent  triumph  for  the  head  magistrate,  as  a few 
years  ago  they  numbered  twenty  thousand  in  Chengtu ; 
but  he  was  determined  to  put  an  end  to  the  system, 
and  has  entirely  succeeded.  We  met  a large  school 
of  boys  neatly  dressed,  and  were  told  that  these  were 
the  children  of  the  beggars,  whom  he  had  colleCfed 
into  a large  school,  where  they  are  taught  trades  at 
the  expense  of  the  municipality. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  a kind  friend  offered  to 

l6l  L 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

take  us  round  the  city.  For  the  first  time  since  leaving 
Shanghai,  we  found  we  could  go  on  a real  shopping 
expedition,  and  we  had  a glorious  afternoon  of  it.  It 
would  be  hard  to  find  a more  fascinating  place  than 
Chengtu  for  shopping.  The  curio  shops  had  much 
that  was  attradtive,  though  nothing  of  any  great  value. 
We  were  told  that  we  must  proceed  with  great  caution 
if  we  wished  to  get  things  at  a reasonable  price  ; and 
fortunately  we  were  able  to  discuss  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  which  was  a great  advantage  to  us  in  dealing 
with  the  shopkeepers.  Our  method  of  procedure  was 
as  follows  : — firstly,  to  look  with  interest  at  all  the 
things  we  did  not  want,  such  as  a baby’s  feeding-bottle 
or  old  beer-bottles  ; secondly,  to  point  out  all  the  flaws 
in  anything  that  we  did  want,  turning  up  our  noses 
till  they  were  nearly  out  of  joint  ; thirdly,  to  ask  the 
prices  of  many  things,  and  to  exclaim  “ Ai-ah  ” in  an 
incredulous  tone  on  hearing  the  price  of  the  things 
that  we  wanted  to  purchase.  Then  we  named  a price 
about  five  times  below  what  was  asked.  Finally  we 
left  the  shop  and  strolled  away  up  the  street,  while 
our  kind  friend  further  discussed  the  matter  with  the 
shopkeeper,  we  having  previously  arranged  with  him 
in  English  how  high  we  were  willing  to  go.  On  an 
average  we  got  the  things  at  about  half  the  price 
named  originally,  but  sometimes  we  got  them  con- 
siderably cheaper.  There  was  not  much  old  china  to 
be  seen,  but  a few  bronzes  and  a good  deal  of  interest- 
ing brass,  mostly  modern.  Chengtu  is  a great  place 
for  the  manufacture  of  horn  things,  especially  lanterns, 

162 


ch.  XV  Chengtu 

which  are  most  ingeniously  construdled.  The  sheets 
of  horn  are  joined  by  being  melted  together,  and  Hosie 
gives  a most  interesting  description  in  his  trade  report 
of  the  way  that  these  and  other  things  are  made  in 
Chengtu.  There  is  a great  manufacture  of  masks,  and 
of  whole  heads  of  the  same  kind,  which  are  painted 
brilliant  colours,  especially  pink.  In  another  street  it 
is  interesting  to  watch  the  sacred  money  being  made. 
Outside  each  shop  a tree  trunk  is  set  up  about  six  feet 
high  ; the  top  of  it  is  carved  to  form  a mould,  the 
shape  of  a silver  shoe.  Into  this  the  paper — made 
from  bamboo  or  rice  straw — is  beaten  into  shape  with 
a hammer  by  a man  standing  upon  the  counter  in 
order  to  reach  up  to  it.  The  basket-shops,  too,  are 
most  enticing,  and  here  they  make  the  largest  baskets 
I have  ever  seen,  about  four  feet  high  and  about  two 
yards  in  diameter.  This  is  the  place  from  which 
loofah  comes  ; it  is  the  inside  of  a peculiar  kind  of 
melon.  Chengtu  is  the  great  trade  centre,  too,  for 
spices  and  musk,  furs,  ©*c.,  which  come  from  Tibet ; 
but  the  great  trade  of  the  place  is  in  silks,  as  in  the 
days  of  Marco  Polo — and  these  were  brought  to  the 
house  another  day  for  us  to  see.  The  figured  crepe 
de  Chine  was  beautiful,  and  the  shades  were  different 
from  those  to  be  seen  at  home.  I got  a lovely  figured 
brocade  at  about  3s.  pd.  per  yard,  and  crepe  de  Chine 
at  IS.  6d.  You  can  see  these  silks  being  woven  in 
numbers  of  the  dark-looking  houses,  and  the  design  is 
made  by  a person  sitting  above  the  loom,  almost  in  the 
roof.  Another  charming  industry  is  that  of  ribbons 

163 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

and  braids,  which  are  made  on  the  most  ingenious 
little  machines.  The  people  sit  outside  their  doors 
working  at  them,  as  you  see  the  women  with  their 
lace  bobbins  in  European  countries. 

The  people  seem  a poor,  cheerful,  thrifty  folk,  and 
there  is  an  air  of  prosperous  activity  throughout 
the  whole  city.  Many  parts  of  it  are  extremely 
picturesque,  and  there  are  beautiful  trees  of  various 
kinds  shading  the  wide  thoroughfares.  In  the  evening 
our  attention  was  attracted  by  tall  poles,  with  lights 
placed  so  high  up  that  they  could  have  been  of  no 
possible  use  to  anybody.  We  found  that  they  were 
put  up  by  pious  persons  to  light  the  “orphan  spirits” — 
that  is  to  say,  to  show  the  way  home  to  people  who 
had  died  away  from  their  own  city. 

The  following  day  we  visited  the  famous  Buddhist 
monastery,  enclosed  by  a wall  above  which  rose  lofty 
trees.  Passing  through  the  fine  entrance,  we  faced  a 
large  gilt  Buddha  in  a narrow  shrine  ; back  to  back 
with  this,  and  divided  off  by  a thin  partition,  was 
another  figure  of  the  Buddha,  facing  the  court.  Here 
the  Abbot  received  us  most  courteously,  and  sent  for 
his  secretary  to  show  us  round.  The  accompanying 
diagram  shows  the  ordinary  sort  of  arrangement  both 
of  temples  and  monasteries.  The  temples  gener- 
ally form  a group  of  buildings  separated  from  one 
another  by  courts  one  behind  the  other  in  a straight 
line,  the  principal  buildings  forming  the  ends,  and 
minor  buildings  running  along  the  sides  of  the  courts. 
The  hall  of  meditation  of  the  monks  was  an  imposing 

164 


D 

H 

O 

25 

U 

K 

u 

> 

Cil 

U 

H 

CO 

< 

O 

S 

pC| 

o 

25 

■< 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

room  with  seats  along  the  walls,  on  which  the  monks 
sit  cross-legged,  looking  very  much  like  Buddhas. 
Everything  was  beautifully  clean  in  the  dining-hall, 
which  was  filled  with  long  tables,  on  which  three  bowls 
and  a pair  of  chopsticks  were  placed  at  intervals  for 
each  monk.  In  the  kitchen  we  saw  an  enormous 
boiler,  where  over  a bushel  of  rice  is  cooked  for  each 
meal,  to  supply  the  appetites  of  a hundred  and  fifty 
monks.  A large  wooden  fish  adls  as  a gong  for  sum- 
moning the  monks  to  meals,  and  another  gong  is  used 
to  summon  them  to  tea. 

One  of  the  monks  looked  as  if  he  had  been  recently 
branded  for  sainthood  with  nine  marks  about  the  size 
of  threepenny-bits,  symmetrically  dotted  over  his  skull. 
Hackmann  gives  an  interesting  description  of  the  way 
this  is  done  in  his  book  Der  Buddhismus.  The  candi- 
date for  sainthood  has  small  pieces  of  incense  fastened 
on  to  his  shaven  head  by  means  of  resin.  These  are 
lighted  and  allowed  to  burn  into  the  flesh,  while  a 
chant  is  kept  up  by  the  other  monks,  and  the  sufferer 
has  some  one  to  press  his  temples  with  his  thumbs  to 
relieve  the  pain. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  courtyard  we  were  taken 
into  a lofty  temple,  where  the  Abbot’s  throne  faced 
the  doorway.  A gilt  Buddha,  with  fruit  and  flowers 
placed  on  a table,  formed  a sort  of  altar  in  front  of  it. 
Round  doorways,  without  doors,  led  to  guest-rooms 
on  either  side  of  this  hall,  and  we  were  hospitably 
entertained  in  one  with  tea  and  cakes.  By  permission 
of  the  Abbot,  I returned  next  day  to  make  a sketch  of 

i66 


HUDDHIST  MON’ASTKKV 


ch.  XV  Che?7p;tu 

o 

this  picturesque  interior,  and  in  this  sketch  the  door- 
way is  shown,  which  is  very  characteristic  of  Szechwan 
architecture.  Many  of  the  inns  in  this  province  have 
circular  doorways  and  windows.  The  Abbot  came 
and  talked  with  us  very  politely,  and  on  inquiry  I 
learnt  that  a most  beautiful  painting  of  lotus  blossoms 
in  black  and  white,  which  hung  over  the  doorway,  was 
by  a celebrated  artist,  and  had  been  presented  to  the 
monastery  by  a pious  worshipper.  The  Abbot  sat 
down  and  began  discussing  our  respective  religions, 
which  he  said  were  exaCtly  the  same.  While  agree- 
ing as  to  their  fundamental  principle  being  the  same, 
I felt  unable  to  discuss  their  differences,  being  some- 
what inattentive,  I fear,  owing  to  my  endeavour  to  get 
on  with  the  sketch  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Next  the 
Abbot  was  sure  we  must  be  hungry,  though  we  had 
just  been  regaled  with  excellent  sweets  and  tea,  and, 
despite  our  refusing  it,  he  insisted  on  sending  us  some 
of  the  meal  to  which  he  had  been  summoned.  A 
monk  soon  appeared  with  bowls  of  vermicelli  and 
greens.  It  was  not  unpalatable,  and  much  easier  to 
manage  with  chopsticks  than  might  be  supposed,  as 
the  bowl  is  held  close  to  the  mouth  and  the  food 
shovelled  in  with  chopsticks  aided  by  suCtion.  At 
intervals  the  novices  came  in  to  worship,  and  prostrated 
themselves  before  the  altar.  Most  of  the  monks  were 
dressed  in  pretty  silver-grey  robes,  but  some  in  the 
orthodox  orange,  and  the  Abbot  wore  a blue  cloak. 
It  was  certainly  an  attractive  community,  a great  con- 
trast to  those  we  saw  in  Peking. 

167 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

Educationally  Chengtu  stands  in  the  front  rank  of 
Chinese  cities.  Everywhere  there  are  schools  and 
colleges  established  on  the  new  lines,  and  more  are 
being  built.  The  people  are  so  enthusiastic  that  they 
have  rather  overshot  the  mark,  it  may  be  thought. 
In  order  to  facilitate  the  girls’  going  to  school  they  are 
being  dressed  as  boys,  so  that  they  may  pass  through 
the  streets  unnoticed  to  attend  the  various  schools 
which  have  been  started  for  them.  One  girl  came 
to  a friend  of  mine  to  seek  admission  to  her  school, 
and  not  only  did  the  European  take  her  for  a boy 
(telling  her  the  boys’  school  was  on  the  other  side  of 
the  road),  but  so  also  did  the  Chinese  gatekeeper,  who 
insisted  she  had  come  to  the  wrong  place.  At  the 
recent  athletic  sports  the  students  put  up  a notice 
that  no  lady  with  bound  feet  would  be  admitted  to 
the  ground,  and  we  hear  that  this  notice  is  now  being 
put  up  everywhere  throughout  the  empire  on  such 
occasions.  Anti-foot-binding  is  certainly  making  good 
progress  among  the  upper  classes,  and  we  even  saw 
a shoe-shop  with  large  shoes  for  ladies  prominently 
displayed  on  the  counter.  Nowhere  else  have  we 
seen  this. 

There  is  a large  military  medical  college  at  which 
there  are  three  French  doctors.  Their  presence  is  not 
altogether  agreeable  to  the  Chinese,  and  when  one 
retired  recently  the  officials  took  the  opportunity  of 
suggesting  that  he  should  not  be  replaced.  They 
said  that  they  could  not  afford  his  salary.  How  great 
must  have  been  their  disappointment  when  they  were 

168 


ch.  XV  Chengtu 

informed  that  their  new  professor  had  already  arrived, 
and  that  the  French  authorities  were  quite  willing  to 
pay  for  him  ! Foreign  competition  in  China  has  its 
funny  side,  but  I marvel  at  the  way  the  Chinese 
endure  it. 

The  University  is  an  interesting  but  eminently 
unpidluresque  place,  and  the  students  are  cramming 
Western  subjects  in  a way  to  cause  intellectual  dys- 
pepsia. As  everywhere  in  China,  English  is  the  main 
subjeCt,and  they  have  a professor  from  Cambridge,  with 
two  English  assistants  and  a Dane.  French,  German, 
and  Japanese  are  also  taught,  and  there  is  only  one 
professor  for  Chinese  classics.  Sunday  is  a holiday, 
and  many  students  spend  the  week-end  at  home.  The 
walls  of  the  class-rooms  are  nearly  all  window,  but  it 
is  in  no  ways  disturbing  to  Chinese  students  to  have 
any  number  of  spectators,  or  to  be  able  to  see  into  the 
adjoining  class-rooms.  Each  study  is  occupied  by 
three  or  four  students,  and  the  studies  are  simply  par- 
titioned corridors  with  a passage  down  the  centre  and 
a railing  on  either  side  of  it,  instead  of  walls.  The 
dining-rooms  are  like  outdoor  restaurants  with  a roof 
over  them,  and  the  students  sit  four  at  a table.  The 
fees  for  the  year,  includingeverything,  are  thirty  dollars 
(about  ^3.  I os.).  Many  students  are  very  anxious 
to  study  in  England,  but  cannot  possibly  raise  the 
necessary  funds  ; and  until  proper  arrangements  are 
made  to  look  after  them  when  they  do  come,  it  is 
hardly  a desirable  plan.  America  is  far  ahead  of  us 
in  this  respeCl,  and  England  would  do  well  to  follow 

169 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

her  example.  Everything  is  in  our  favour  at  present, 
and  it  might  be  of  the  utmost  value  as  regards  the  de- 
velopment of  China,  and  the  commercial  interests  of 
England,  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  educating  some 
of  her  ablest  scholars.  A Chinese  gentleman  told  me 
that  students  returning  from  England  are  very  apt  to 
be  full  of  bumptiousness  because  they  have  come  out 
head  of  their  class  in  English  schools,  while  they  have 
failed  to  assimilate  what  they  have  learnt.  We  spent 
an  evening  with  some  students,  answering  questions 
about  the  different  countries  we  had  visited.  They 
wanted  to  know  about  the  government,  the  religious 
and  general  conditions  of  other  lands.  Naturally  the 
questions  covered  far  too  big  an  area  to  admit  of  satis- 
factory answers,  but  probably  the  men  would  have 
been  willing  to  listen  all  night,  if  we  had  been  willing 
to  go  on  talking.  They  were  most  interested  to  hear 
the  reasons  why  we  admire  China  and  the  points  of 
superiority  which  it  possessed. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  the  Viceroy  and  the 
Tartar  general  sent  presents  to  all  the  foreign  com- 
munity. Their  visiting-cards  were  brought  in,  and 
a list  of  the  presents  which  were  waiting  outside — 
hams,  pigeons,  ducks,  fruits,  and  sweetmeats.  We 
went  outside  to  see  them,  and  found  the  presents  dis- 
played on  trays  on  the  top  of  large  boxes,  or  hung 
round  them.  It  is  customary  to  seleCt  about  two 
things  ; visiting-cards  are  sent  back  with  the  re- 
mainder, and  a small  present  of  money  is  given  to 
the  servants  who  bring  the  gifts.  They  replace  what 


Mll.irAK\  \AMKN 


ch.  XV  Chengtu 

has  been  selected  from  a supply  inside  the  box,  and 
then  carry  them  on  to  the  next  house.  We  went  to 
see  the  Tartar  general’s  yamen  in  the  Manchu  city, 
a very  pretty  spot  embowered  in  trees,  and  quite 
typical  of  Chinese  official  buildings.  The  inscrip- 
tion over  the  entrance  is  “Yamen  of  the  greatest 
General,”  and  on  the  doors  and  walls  are  highly 
coloured  pidtures  of  the  tutelary  gods,  two  celebrated 
generals  of  the  T’Ang  dynasty  (a.d.  6i8  to  905)  ; 
one  is  white-faced,  and  the  other  red-faced.  These 
pictures  are  repeated  all  along  the  wall,  and  also 
on  the  doorways  of  the  inner  courtyard,  which  in 
the  sketch  appears  in  the  background.  They  are 
singularly  ugly,  but  as  the  pidtures  of  the  door-gods 
are  seen  on  the  houses  of  all,  even  the  poorest,  the 
sketch  of  them  may  not  be  devoid  of  interest.  On 
private  houses  some  of  them  are  quite  little  papers 
like  advertisements,  while  again  some  of  the  private 
houses  have  large  gilt  figures  covering  the  whole 
doors.  One  day  we  went  outside  the  city  to  visit  a 
fine  temple,  and  came  to  a place  where  there  is  a 
road  on  which  you  can  drive  in  carriages.  This  is 
the  only  place  in  the  province  where  there  is  a 
carriage,  but  we  did  not  have  the  privilege  of  seeing 
it.  The  walls  are  broad  enough  and  smooth  enough 
on  the  top  to  make  a splendid  carriage  drive — four 
or  five  vehicles  might  easily  drive  abreast — and  as 
they  are  ten  miles  round,  it  would  really  be  a fine 
promenade.  In  the  spring  the  view  must  be  very 
beautiful,  for  there  is  a range  of  snowy  mountains  in 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xv 

the  distance,  and  many  branches  of  the  Min  River 
water  the  intervening  plain.  During  the  whole  week 
that  we  spent  at  Chengtu  we  never  saw  the  moun- 
tains, on  account  of  the  mist ; but  it  was  not  hard  to 
imagine  the  beauty  of  the  place  when  the  flowers  are 
out  and  the  brilliant  butterflies  hovering  round  them. 

We  took  part  in  an  interesting  event  while  we 
were  staying  here — the  purchase  of  land  for  a Chris- 
tian university.  Heavy  bundles  of  silver  “ tings  ” 
had  to  be  weighed  before  the  payment  was  settled. 
Four  different  missionary  societies  have  each  agreed 
to  build  a college  and  to  provide  a certain  number  of 
qualified  teachers.  It  is  also  proposed  that  Etonians 
should  furnish  a hostel.  This  university  scheme 
for  the  west  seems  likely  to  be  the  forerunner  of  one 
also  in  the  east  of  the  empire,  but  the  latter  will  be 
on  more  ambitious  lines. 

We  were  sorrier  when  the  time  came  for  us  to 
leave  Chengtu  than  we  were  to  resume  our  journey 
on  any  other  occasion.  We  had  decided  to  go  by 
river  to  Kiating,  despite  the  fadt  that  it  was  very  low ; 
and  as  we  left  the  city  we  came  to  the  wall  where 
the  new  barracks  are  situated,  and  saw  some  soldiers 
doing  the  goose-step.  Others  were  jumping  into  a 
trench,  where  nearly  every  one  landed  on  all-fours. 
There  was  very  great  hesitation  before  they  dared 
leap  at  all.  The  city  is  enclosed  by  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  river,  and  we  had  not  to  go  very  far 
outside  the  wall  before  we  reached  the  point  where 
our  boat  was  moored. 


172 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Min  River 

WE  reached  the  riverside — it  looked  merely 
a stream — and  found  our  boat,  with  the 
luggage  already  aboard,  looking  most  un- 
promising, despite  the  efforts  of  our  men.  It  was  a 
small  river  craft  about  eight  feet  broad.  Bamboo 
matting  not  more  than  five  feet  high  formed  our  house- 
room,  with  a few  planks  for  a door  in  front.  Frag- 
ments of  matting  made  a partial  screen  in  the  centre. 
The  floor  was  of  a rudimentary  charadter,  just  a few 
boards  with  large  gaps  between  them,  through  which 
one  could  study  the  depth  of  water  over  which  our 
luggage  was  precariously  poised  on  low  props.  In 
order  to  prevent  all  our  small  things  from  dropping 
through  the  floor,  we  spread  over  it  our  invaluable 
sheets  of  oil-cotton  (a  kind  of  waterproof  largely  used 
everywhere  in  China),  and  fastened  up  a curtain  at 
each  end  of  the  tiny  boat  to  secure  a small  amount  of 
privacy.  There  was  just  space  for  our  two  carrying- 
chairs  and  our  mattresses.  One  of  the  chairs  we  used 
as  a wardrobe,  and  the  other  as  a store-cupboard.  The 
bamboo  chairs  we  had  procured  at  the  penitentiary  of 
Chengtu,  despite  the  advice  of  our  friends,  as  we  found 
sedan-chairs  very  irksome,  and  decided  that  open  ones 

173 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xvi 

would  be  more  comfortable  and  enable  us  to  see  the 
country  better.  With  long  fur  coats  and  foot  muffs 
we  felt  that  we  could  brave  the  cold,  and  there  was 
always  the  resource  of  walking  if  we  got  too  chilly. 
We  never  for  a moment  regretted  our  decision, 
and  we  found  that  the  men  carried  the  open  chairs 
far  better  than  the  heavy  closed  ones.  We  profited 
at  once  by  the  exchange,  as  they  were  able  to  be 
used  for  going  to  Mount  Omi,  and  we  were  carried 
some  distance  up  the  mountain.  Under  the  seat  was 
a box  in  which  we  could  carry  all  our  small  things, 
and  the  coolies  hung  their  coats,  hats,  (£?c.,  on  the 
back. 

As  our  room  was  so  small  we  sat  mostly  on  the 
floor,  so  as  to  have  everything  within  reach  without 
getting  up.  The  cooking  was  a somewhat  difficult 
matter,  as  the  brazier  on  which  it  was  done  was  only 
six  inches  in  diameter,  and  rather  apt  to  burn  a hole 
in  the  floor  if  it  was  heated  sufficiently  to  do  any 
cooking.  We  were  glad  of  its  warmth,  as  the  weather 
was  very  cold.  Chopsticks  were  evidently  the  corredt 
fireirons,  and  are  just  the  right  size  to  match  the 
charcoal.  With  pradtice  I got  fairly  expert  at  making 
palatable  dishes,  as  naturally  the  range  of  the  menu 
was  much  limited.  From  this  time  onward  I did  all 
the  cooking,  and  I cannot  help  attributing  to  this  fadl 
mainly  the  excellent  health  we  enjoyed  throughout 
the  whole  journey. 

It  was  on  his  way  from  Chang  Te  to  Mount  Omi 
that  the  unfortunate  Lieutenant  Brooke  was  murdered 

174 


ch.  xvi  The  Min  River 

by  Lolos  about  a year  later  than  we  were  there. 
We  were  strongly  warned  about  the  care  requisite 
in  dealing  with  Lolos,  and  told  that  it  was  imprudent 
even  to  mention  the  name  in  public,  as  it  is  con- 
sidered a term  of  reproach.  It  was  suggested  that 
we  should  spell  it  if  desirous  of  speaking  of  them. 
Their  country  is  marked  on  the  maps  as  “ Indepen- 
dent Lolos,”  and  covers  about  ii,ooo  square  miles; 
no  Chinaman  dare  penetrate  into  it  without  the  safe- 
condudt  of  a Lolo.  Their  speech,  dress,  customs, 
religion,  and  laws  are  entirely  different  from  those  of 
the  Chinese.  No  one  has  yet  come  into  sufficiently 
close  contadl  with  them  to  ascertain  even  approxi- 
mately the  number  of  Lolo  tribes  in  existence  at 
the  present  time,  speaking  different  dialedts.  What 
was  true  at  the  time  that  Baber  explored  Western 
Szechwan  is  equally  true  to-day — that  pradlically 
nothing  is  known  about  them.  He  gives  a graphic 
description  of  the  Lolos  whom  he  met,  which  I quote 
at  length  : “ They  are  far  taller  than  the  Chinese  ; 
taller  probably  than  any  European  people.  During 
the  journey  we  must  have  met  hundreds  of  them,  but 
we  never  saw  one  who  could  be  called,  even  from 
an  English  standard,  short  or  undersized.  They  are 
almost  without  exception  remarkably  straight-built, 
with  thin  muscular  limbs.  Their  chests  are  deep,  as 
becomes  mountaineers  : the  speed  and  endurance  with 
which  they  scale  their  native  mountains  is  a prodigy 
and  a proverb  for  the  Chinese.  Their  handsome 
oval  faces,  of  a reddish  brown  among  those  most 

175 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xvi 

exposed  to  the  weather,  are  furnished  with  large, 
level  eyes,  prominent  but  not  exaggerated  cheekbones, 
an  arched  but  rather  broad  nose,  an  ordinary  mouth, 
somewhat  thin-lipped,  and  a pointed  and  charadler- 
istic  chin  from  which  the  beard  has  been  plucked. 
The  same  process  has  denuded  the  upper  lip,  which 
is  of  good  proportion.  Their  teeth  are  remarkably 
white  and  regular,  a preservation  for  which  they 
account  by  asserting  that  they  never  eat  roast  meat, 
but  always  boil  their  food.  Perhaps  the  most  marked 
charadter  of  their  faces  is  a curious  tendency  to 
wrinkles,  especially  on  the  forehead,  which  is  low,  but 
broad  and  upright.  The  lowness  of  the  features  may 
be  merely  an  illusive  appearance,  since  it  is  over- 
shadowed by  a peculiar  style  of  hairdressing.  With 
very  rare  exceptions  the  male  Lolo,  rich  or  poor, 
free  or  subject,  may  be  instantly  known  by  his  horn. 
All  his  hair  is  gathered  into  a knob  over  his  fore- 
head, and  then  twisted  up  into  a cotton  cloth,  so  as 
to  resemble  the  horn  of  a unicorn.  The  horn  with 
its  wrapper  is  sometimes  a good  nine  inches  long.” 
Baber  mentions  slave  raids  made  by  the  Lolos  to 
capture  Chinese  children,  whom  they  usually  bring 
up  like  their  own  children.  They  tattoo  the  slaves 
on  the  forehead  with  a blue  cross.  Apparently  it  is 
to  have  a place  of  safety  in  case  of  such  raids  that 
the  Chinese  have  built  towers  like  the  one  I have 
sketched  on  the  borders  of  Yunnan.  Many  of  the 
customs  of  the  Lolos  are  peculiar  and  interesting,  and 
the  position  of  woman  is  far  above  that  enjoyed  in 

176 


ch.  xvi  ’The  Mm  River 

China.  The  birth  of  a girl  is  more  highly  esteemed 
than  that  of  a boy,  and  a stranger  introduced  by  a 
woman  Lolo  has  the  best  possible  guarantee.  Baber 
considered  that  a European  would  be  quite  safe  in 
Lololand  if  properly  introduced  and  of  honest  char- 
adfer.  The  most  experienced  and  successful  travellers 
always  seem  to  emphasise  the  importance  of  the 
latter  faft. 

We  were  escorted  by  two  soldiers,  as  usual.  Our 
progress  was  far  from  rapid,  as  the  river  is  extremely 
low  at  this  season.  For  the  first  two  days  we  were 
generally  able  to  see  to  the  bottom,  and  often  we 
scraped  the  stones  if  we  did  not  a6fually  stick  fast. 
The  men  seemed  to  spend  nearly  as  much  time  in 
the  river,  pushing  and  pulling  us,  as  on  the  boat.  It 
was  a picturesque  and  interesting  journey,  as  we  con- 
tinually came  to  the  dams  made  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses. We  much  regretted  that  we  were  unable  to 
visit  Kwan  Hsien  (thirty-six  miles  north  of  Chengtu), 
where  the  system  of  irrigation  of  the  plain  can  be 
seen  at  its  source.  As  we  were  short  of  time,  and 
also  heard  that  we  should  not  see  much  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  it  did  not  seem  worth  while  going  there. 
The  Min  River  flows  from  the  Min  Hills,  and  just 
near  Kwan  Hsien  a cutting  was  made  in  order  to 
divide  it  into  two  large  branches.  These  again  were 
subdivided  into  many  others,  forming  a network  to 
irrigate  the  whole  of  the  plain  in  which  Chengtu 
lies.  This  was  done  by  an  able  governor  more  than 
200  years  b.c.,  and  the  original  system,  which  is  still 

177  M 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xvi 

in  use  to-day,  has  turned  an  unproductive  plain  into 
one  of  great  fertility.  Naturally,  there  have  been 
many  improvements  made  in  the  course  of  centuries, 
and  dams  and  dikes  have  been  ereCted  to  regulate 
the  flow  of  water.  We  were  able  to  see  quite  a 
number  of  these  after  leaving  Chengtu,  and  to  marvel 
at  their  simple  and  successful  construction.  They 
are  mostly  made  of  bamboo  crates,  filled  with  stones, 
and  rising  about  three  feet  above  water.  These  are 
placed  in  long  lines,  and  the  temporary  dike  is  made 
of  sand.  The  channels  have  to  be  cleaned  regularly, 
and  large  sums  have  to  be  spent  on  repairs.  The 
farmers  pay  a tax  of  about  -|d.  an  acre,  and,  in  order 
to  get  the  money  in  regularly,  they  are  compelled  to 
pay  double  if  it  is  not  paid  before  a certain  date. 
For  about  a month  yearly  the  river  below  Chengtu 
is  closed,  and  there  is  always  a great  crowd  of  boats 
at  that  time,  both  above  and  below  the  dam,  waiting 
for  the  re-opening.  The  opening  of  a big  dam,  such 
as  the  “ Frog’s  Chin,”  is  an  imposing  ceremony,  pre- 
ceded by  a day  of  worship  at  the  temples  and  the 
inspection  of  dikes.  All  the  officials  attend,  and  when 
the  sluice  is  opened  the  runners  of  the  officials  lash 
the  water,  and  the  women  and  the  children  throw 
stones  in  to  make  the  water  run  faster  to  irrigate  the 
fields  ! 

Throughout  the  plain  there  are  many  water-wheels 
to  raise  the  water  to  higher  levels,  and  some  also  are 
apparently  used  for  grinding  corn.  At  the  close  of 
our  first  day’s  journey  on  the  river  there  was  a great 

178 


HOUSE  ON  MIN  RIVER 


ch.  xvi  The  Min  River 

deal  of  loud  talk  when  we  halted  for  the  night,  added 
to  the  tiresome  beating  of  the  drums  by  the  night 
watchmen,  who  patrol  the  towns  and  big  villages  all 
night  long.  It  turned  out  that  a man  had  come  to 
try  and  persuade  our  captain  to  undertake  a bigger 
job  than  ours.  On  being  warned  that  the  interpreter 
would  hear  what  he  said,  he  remarked  that  it  did  not 
matter,  as  he  would  not  be  able  to  understand  the 
dialed!.  Mr.  Ku,  however,  had  studied  the  dialed! 
when  he  was  at  college,  and  thoroughly  understood 
the  plan  that  was  being  devised.  This  was  that  we 
should  slip  down  the  river  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
while  the  escorts  were  away  sleeping  at  the  inn.  Then 
some  story  would  be  trumped  up  that  the  boat  could 
not  take  us  any  farther,  and  we  should  have  been 
obliged  to  find  another  one.  Mr.  Ku  had  the  good 
sense  to  go  ashore  at  once  and  apply  to  the  Yamen  for 
a couple  of  soldiers  to  come  and  sleep  on  board,  so  that 
there  was  no  opportunity  for  the  captain  to  undertake 
the  new  job  even  if  he  had  been  willing  to  do  so,  and 
we  had  no  further  trouble.  Certainly,  one  could  hardly 
be  surprised  if  the  captain  wished  to  make  a little  more 
money,  for  he  receives  about  6s.  for  a trip  which  lasts 
four  days,  and  out  of  this  money  he  has  to  pay  and  feed 
two  other  men  besides  feeding  our  two.  We  hear  that 
a man  can  live  (without  starving)  on  a penny  a day 
for  food,  and  the  regular  allowance  of  soldiers  is  only 
2d.  per  day. 

We  passed  many  pi6!uresque  villages,  some  built 
in  lath  and  plaster,  which,'’at  a little  distance,  might 

179 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xvi 

almost  have  been  taken  for  Cheshire  villages,  if  it 
were  not  for  the  beautiful  blue  figures  flitting  about  ; 
for  blue  is  the  universal  colour  of  the  clothing  here. 
We  were  much  interested  to  see  a large  number  of 
fishing  cormorants  at  one  place  ; but  unfortunately 
they  were  not  at  work.  Very  light  rafts  are  used  for 
this  purpose,  turned  up  at  one  end,  as  in  the  sketch. 
We  also  twice  saw  otters  used  for  the  same  purpose. 
The  Chinese  declared  to  us  that  the  otter  brings  the 
fish  up  in  its  paws,  and  not  in  its  mouth  ; but  they 
always  invent  an  answer  so  glibly  to  your  question, 
whether  they  know  the  answer  or  not,  that  I should 
certainly  not  believe  the  above  without  further  corro- 
boration. We  were  surprised  to  see  in  one  place  that 
the  cormorants  (after  diving)  were  fished  up  to  the 
surface  in  baskets  very  much  the  same  shape  as  the 
birds,  and  evidently  made  for  the  purpose. 

About  forty  miles  below  Chengtu,  the  two  main 
branches  of  the  river  unite  and  form  something  more 
worthy  of  the  name  of  river.  The  branch  which 
flows  through  Chengtu  is  called  the  “ Walking  Horse 
River  ” at  its  division  from  the  main  current — a very 
dangerous  spot  for  navigation,  and  one  where  there  are 
constant  disasters.  It  is  said  that  the  rafts  generally 
carry  coffins  with  them  in  consequence  ; and  certainly 
the  number  of  those  carrying  coffins  which  passed  us 
going  upstream  gives  colour  to  the  story.  It  was 
curious  to  see  the  boats  being  towed  along  by  men 
walking  beside  them  in  the  water  harnessed  as  trackers. 
Lower  down,  the  river  becomes  deeper,  and  some  of  the 

180 


(VI'lKk  KISIIIXC,  ON  MIN  KIVKK 


rvv 


ch.  xvi  The  Min  River 

rapids  look  very  pretty,  as  the  water  is  a bluish-green 
colour  and  the  rocks  are  red  sandstone.  Sometimes 
the  road  from  the  riverside  leads  up  precipitous  hills  by 
long  stone  staircases.  The  refledtions  of  the  common 
blue  clothes  of  the  people,  as  seen  in  the  river,  are  an 
exquisite  turquoise  colour.  The  scenery  becomes  in- 
creasingly beautiful  as  one  proceeds  down  the  river. 
Our  escort  was  changed  daily,  and  one  man  brought  a 
fowling-piece  on  board  with  which  to  beguile  the  time. 
He  tried  to  shoot  the  wild  ducks,  which  are  the  size 
and  colour  of  our  tame  ones,  but  he  had  not  the  smallest 
success.  We  were  interested  to  see  the  loading  of  the 
weapon,  which  had  a piece  of  smouldering  rope  finally 
thrust  down  the  barrel,  preparatory  to  its  being  fired 
off.  The  gun  had  to  be  balanced  on  a bundle  of  sticks 
while  careful  aim  was  taken  at  a very  near  bird  sitting 
quite  still.  Even  then,  the  bird  was  in  no  danger,  so 
far  as  we  could  see,  but  ineffeftual  attempts  to  shoot 
kept  the  man  busy  all  day.  The  soldier  wore  a silver 
ring,  of  which  he  was  extremely  proud.  This  had  to 
be  entrusted  to  the  other  soldier  each  time  that  he 
fired  his  weapon.  Part  of  the  way  we  had  police 
boatmen,  who  spent  some  time  in  rowing,  and  were 
of  material  assistance  to  us  ; but  unfortunately  this 
was  only  a rare  occurrence. 

Kiating  was  the  first  large  town  we  reached,  and 
here  we  left  the  boat  in  order  to  make  our  expedition 
to  Mount  Omi. 


i8i 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Mount  Omi 

WE  reached  Kiating  in  the  morning,  and  set 
to  work  at  once  on  our  preparations  for  the 
next  day.  The  people  there  considered  us 
very  extraordinary  for  wishing  to  make  the  ascent  at 
such  an  unusual  time  of  year,  and  told  us  that  it  would 
be  worse  than  useless,  for  we  should  certainly  see  nothing 
at  all  from  the  top.  They  pointed  out  how  arduous 
an  ascent  it  would  be,  as  the  snow  would  make  climb- 
ing extremely  difficult.  The  weather  had  been  cloudy 
for  some  time,  and  we  were  in  the  land  of  mists,  but 
nothing  would  deter  us  from  our  intention.  We  had 
read  discouraging  accounts  of  other  travellers  who  had 
been  up  there,  and  it  certainly  sounded  as  if  we  should 
find  the  ascent  beyond  our  strength,  but  we  determined, 
at  all  events,  to  try.  We  arranged  to  take  as  little 
luggage  as  possible,  but  it  was  necessary  to  take  food 
for  six  days,  as  on  the  sacred  mountain  there  are  no 
inns.  There  are  plenty  of  monasteries,  which  give 
you  reasonable  accommodation,  but  it  was  quite  un- 
likely we  should  get  food  there.  The  first  day  we 
travelled  across  the  plain  some  twenty  miles  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  The  scenery  was  pretty,  but 
nothing  remarkable  was  to  be  seen  at  this  time  of  the 

182 


ch.  xvii  Mount  07ni 

year.  One  of  the  principal  objedls  of  interest  is  the 
white  wax  tree,  a sort  of  ash,  called  by  the  Chinese 
“ Pai-la-Shu.”  The  white  wax  insects  are  bred  in  the 
celebrated  valley  of  the  Chien-ch’ang,  some  200  miles 
away  among  the  mountains.  When  they  reach  the 
right  stage  of  development  they  are  put  in  paper 
boxes,  in  bamboo  trays,  and  brought  to  the  plain  of 
Kiating  by  the  swiftest  runners.  These  men  only 
travel  by  night,  as  it  is  essential  that  the  process  of 
development  should  not  proceed  too  rapidly.  The 
boxes  have  to  be  opened  every  day  and  ventilated,  and 
the  men  secure  the  best  rooms  in  the  inns,  so  that 
other  travellers  have  much  to  suffer  if  they  are  on  the 
road  at  the  same  time.  Finally,  the  education  of  the 
grub  is  finished  in  the  plain  round  Kiating. 

We  crossed  a large  river,  and  cliffs  were  pointed  out 
to  us  containing  caves  called  Man-tsi  dwellings,  and 
we  were  told  that  they  were  formerly  inhabited  by 
aborigines  of  that  name.  The  banks  of  the  Min  River 
are  honeycombed  with  them,  and  it  is  only  quite 
recently  that  this  Chinese  tradition  has  been  called  in 
question.  A resident  in  that  distridl,  who  was  inter- 
ested in  the  pottery  mounds  left  by  the  Man-tsi  when 
they  were  driven  farther  west  by  the  Chinese  during 
the  Han  dynasty  (200  B.C.-200  a.d.),  was  told  of  the 
existence  of  an  earthenware  coffin.  He  went  to  see 
it,  and  further  investigation  proved  that  such  coffins 
were  to  be  found  habitually  in  the  caves,  together 
with  fragments  of  household  implements.  He  found 
also  drawings  of  architedlural  columns  and  figures  of 

183 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xvii 

winged  gods  and  winged  animals  carved  on  the  rock, 
of  a totally  different  charadler  from  anything  Chinese. 
The  caves  differ  very  much  in  size,  varying  from  small 
ones,  ten  feet  deep  by  seven  broad  and  seven  high,  to 
large  ones,  a hundred  feet  in  depth  and  eight  or  ten 
feet  broad  and  seven  or  more  high.  Some  of  the 
larger  ones  have  side  compartments.  Sometimes  large 
simple  caves  are  to  be  found  some  thirty  or  forty  feet 
square,  and  they  are  supported  by  pillars  of  rock,  with 
well-chiselled  chapiters  and  ornamental  masonry  above 
them.  These  caves  have  all  the  same  kind  of  door- 
ways, but  they  vary  considerably  in  fineness  of  design 
and  execution.  Some  of  the  lintels  and  sides  are  well 
carved.  The  entrances  have  been  built  up,  and  some- 
times so  skilfully  filled  in  with  earth  that  all  external 
traces  of  them  are  obliterated. 

As  may  be  supposed,  a large  number  of  these  caves 
have  been  broken  into  by  the  Chinese  and  rifled  of 
their  contents.  In  a cave  opened  at  Penshau  in  1908, 
two  skeletons  were  found  lying  on  either  side  of  the 
entrance,  one  with  a long  sword  lying  beside  it,  and 
the  other  with  a short  sword.  There  were  small 
images  in  niches  at  the  upper  end  of  the  cave,  and  a 
large  jar  full  of  cash,  besides  many  household  dishes. 
As  this  was  evidently  the  burying-place  of  a poor 
family,  there  were  no  earthenware  coffins  ; but  in  a 
similar  one,  evidently  belonging  to  a rich  family,  the 
corpses  were  all  in  earthenware  coffins,  the  material 
of  which  was  the  same  as  that  now  used  in  the  dis- 
tridt  for  making  tiles  for  the  houses.  In  this  cave 

184 


ch.  xvii  Mount  Omi 

there  were  a number  of  birds  and  domestic  animals 
in  burnt  clay,  a variety  of  crockery,  and  various  traces 
of  its  former  wealth,  but  it  had  evidently  been  robbed 
of  such  things  as  the  brass  basins  and  cash  which  are 
found  in  these  wealthier  tombs.  The  writer  of  the 
article  in  the  North  China  Herald  (Dec.  26,  1908), 
from  whose  account  I have  made  this  brief  summary, 
goes  on  to  say  that  the  coffins  are  made  in  two  pieces, 
the  main  body  and  the  lid.  He  investigated  a large 
number  of  these  caves,  which  are  being  ruthlessly 
destroyed  by  the  natives,  who  have  no  idea  of  the 
value  of  what  they  find  in  them,  and  will  sell  such 
things  as  swords  for  a few  pence  to  be  used  as  old 
iron.  Stone  coffins  are  also  not  uncommon  in  them. 
The  caves  were  evidently  closed  about  the  beginning 
of  the  Christian  era,  when  the  Man-tsi  were  still 
living  on  the  banks  of  the  Min  River.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  some  capable  archeologist  will  soon  take 
up  the  study  of  these  caves  before  it  is  too  late,  as 
evidently  there  is  much  to  be  learnt  with  regard  to 
the  history  of  the  Chinese  as  well  as  of  the  Man-tsi 
in  that  distridt. 

Marco  Polo,  in  referring  to  the  Man-tsi  district, 
mentions  the  widespread  culture  of  cinnamon,  and 
what  we  procured  in  Chengtu  was  certainly  the  most 
delicious  we  had  ever  tasted. 

Rain  began  to  fall  as  we  neared  the  town  of  Omi, 
and  we  found  there  was  no  chance  of  our  getting 
farther  that  night.  Fresh  coolies  had  to  be  engaged 
the  next  day,  as  it  requires  experienced  men  for  going 

i8s 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xvii 

up  the  mountain.  The  usual  method  of  being  carried 
is  to  sit  on  a wooden  perch  attached  to  the  shoulders 
of  the  coolies.  A young  American  whom  we  met 
had  been  carried  up  to  the  top  in  this  way.  At  one 
point  the  coolie  stopped  on  the  edge  of  a precipice 
to  take  a little  rest,  and  suddenly  stooped  down,  so 
that  the  American  hung  over  the  abyss.  On  his 
uttering  a remonstrance,  the  coolie  remarked  quite 
unconcernedly,  “ Have  no  fear  ; I am  only  picking  up 
a pebble  with  my  toes.”  He  was  standing  on  one  leg ! 

We  arranged  to  start  at  our  usual  hour,  6.30  ; but 
we  waited  for  a long  time  in  vain.  A few  coolies 
came  and  fussed  round  the  luggage,  but  while  the 
others  were  being  brought  they  disappeared,  so  that 
we  began  to  fear  we  should  never  do  our  stage.  A 
great  deal  of  scolding  and  losing  of  one’s  temper  (no 
simulation  in  the  present  case,  though  that  is  often 
necessary  in  China  in  order  to  make  the  coolies  start) 
had  to  be  gone  through  before  we  started.  At  last  we 
got  off  at  8 o’clock,  with  the  understanding  that  the 
coolies  were  to  get  us  as  far  as  Wan  Yen  Sz  that  day, 
for  we  had  been  told  that  we  must  be  sure  to  go  to 
that  place  and  stop  at  a comfortable  monastery.  There 
are  seventy  monasteries  on  the  mountain  ; some  of 
them  very  large,  but  others  small  and  ill-kept.  As 
soon  as  we  left  the  plain  the  scenery  became  more 
and  more  beautiful.  At  the  foot  of  it  magnificent 
banyans  and  groups  of  sacred  cedars  formed  a fine  con- 
trast to  the  slender  trunks  of  the  other  trees.  Then 
we  came  to  a charming  crystal  stream,  shaded  by 

186 


MOUNT  OMI  BRlUGt: 


ch.  xvii  Mount  Omi 

arching  bamboos.  The  path  was  so  narrow  that 
whenever  we  met  any  one,  they  had  to  stride  across 
the  stream  to  let  us  pass,  or  they  would  scuttle  away 
(if  they  were  women)  to  some  spot  where  there  was 
room  to  stand,  for  the  chair-bearers  never  pause  or 
give  way  to  other  passengers  ; they  simply  ignore  their 
being  there  and  walk  straight  into  them.  Maiden- 
hair and  every  kind  of  lovely  fern  was  refledted  in  the 
green  water.  As  we  went  up  the  valley  the  path  led 
perilously  round  lofty  rocks  ; once  my  chair  stuck  fast, 
unable  to  be  moved  either  way,  with  the  horrible  pre- 
cipice yawning  below.  My  bearers  yelled  (from  anger, 
not  fear,  I think),  and  one  of  the  soldiers  happily  came 
to  the  rescue,  for  I cannot  think  what  would  have 
happened  otherwise.  Another  time  one  of  the  front 
coolies  fell  flat  coming  down  a flight  of  steps,  so  that 
on  the  whole  we  found  that  part  of  the  journey  very 
anxious  work,  both  going  up  and  coming  down.  We 
soon  abandoned  our  chairs  and  began  walking  up  end- 
less flights  of  steps.  We  crossed  an  interesting  little 
bridge  ornamented  with  a dragon  facing  up  the  stream, 
whose  tail  projedted  from  the  farther  side  of  the  bridge, 
as  in  the  sketch.  These  dragons  are  a favourite  orna- 
ment of  bridges  in  this  province,  and  are  there  not 
merely  for  ornament  but  also  to  ward  off  the  evil 
spirits.  That  is  why  they  always  face  up  the  stream. 
The  person  crossing  the  bridge  is  a typical  Szechwan 
woman. 

We  reached  Wan  Yen  Sz  much  earlier  than  we  ex- 
pedted.  The  bronze  elephant  in  the  temple  there  is 

187 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xvii 

considered  very  interesting,  but  it  is  certainly  not  orna- 
mental. It  is  said  to  have  come  from  India,  and  how 
it  was  conveyed  thence  nobody  can  explain.  It  had 
been  damaged  by  fire,  and  there  was  a large  hole  in 
the  under  side,  so  a shrine  had  been  made  there,  and 
two  little  Buddhas  put  in  it,  with  incense  in  front. 
The  tail  was  also  extremely  defective,  so  bits  of  in- 
cense like  hairs  had  been  stuck  at  the  end  of  it.  The 
Chinese  really  have  no  sense  of  the  ludicrous  in  such 
matters,  though  they  have  a keen  sense  of  humour, 
and  one  is  constantly  tempted  to  laugh  in  the  temples. 
Happily,  they  do  not  mind  this  at  all,  and  would  not 
think  that  we  were  showing  any  lack  of  reverence. 
In  the  adjoining  temple  the  monks  were  chanting, 
while  two  or  three  of  them  kept  up  a continuous 
beating  on  the  Buddha  fish  and  other  gongs,  as  seen 
in  the  sketch.  In  front  of  the  Buddha,  and  almost 
concealing  him,  was  a large  stone  monument  put  up 
by  an  Indian  prince.  Near  here  we  were  shown  a 
piece  of  stone  which  was  said  to  be  the  Buddha’s 
tooth.  It  weighed  several  pounds,  and  is  much  vene- 
rated by  pilgrims. 

We  provided  ourselves  with  stout  pilgrim  staves, 
which  we  found  of  the  utmost  value  on  both  our  up 
ward  and  downward  journeys.  They  have  quaintly 
carved  dragons  or  tigers  at  the  top,  with  a loose 
wooden  pea  which  rattles  in  their  mouths.  These 
sticks  cost  from  a penny  to  2|d.,  and  after  the  pil- 
grimage has  been  performed  it  is  the  corredt  thing 
to  have  them  painted  red  and  black  and  gold.  The 


r.rDDHIST  MONK.,  CH.^NTIXt; 


TIGER  SHRINE 


ch.  xvii  Mount  Omi 

tiger  is  the  mountain  god  who  was  worshipped  long 
before  the  existence  of  the  Buddha,  and  whose  shrines 
are  still  to  be  seen  all  the  way  up  the  mountain,  with 
incense  burning  before  them. 

It  was  interesting  to  find  on  Mount  Omi  the  two 
great  Chinese  symbols  of  power,  the  dragon  and  the 
tiger.  As  Laurence  Binyon  puts  it  : “ In  the  super- 
stitions of  literal  minds  the  Dragon  was  the  genius  of 
the  element  of  water,  producing  clouds  and  mists  ; the 
Tiger  the  genius  of  the  Mountains,  whose  roaring  is 
heard  in  the  wind  that  shakes  the  forest.  But  in  the 
imagination  of  poets  and  of  artists  these  symbols 
became  charged  with  spiritual  meanings,  meanings 
which  we  should  regard  as  fluid  rather  than  fixed,  and 
of  imports  varying  with  the  dominant  conceptions  of 
particular  epochs.  In  the  Dragon  is  made  visible  the 
power  of  the  spirit,  the  power  of  the  infinite,  the 
power  of  change  ; in  the  Tiger  the  power  of  material 
forces.” 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  Buddhists  selected 
mountains  already  sacred,  where  they  might  establish 
themselves  and  form  Buddhist  sandfuaries.  They 
tolerated  the  gods  in  possession,  so  that  they  still 
continue  to  be  worshipped  simultaneously  with  the 
Buddha.  The  mixing  up  of  religions  is  seen  every- 
where in  China,  but  nowhere  did  we  notice  it  so 
grotesquely  carried  out  as  here . W e counted  no  fewer 
than  twelve  tiger  shrines  on  the  way  up  the  mountain, 
many  of  them  with  vivacious  beasts  half  out  of  their 
shrines,  as  if  they  were  tired  of  their  role  and  were 

189 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xvii 

meditating  a raid  on  their  worshippers.  In  the  even- 
ing the  Abbot  had  prepared  a feast  for  us,  but  we 
declined  it,  so  he  sent  in  a tray  of  nuts  and  sweets 
instead. 

The  following  morning  we  set  off  betimes  on  foot, 
and  verysoon  the  coolies  left  the  carrying-poles  behind, 
and  were  obliged  to  carry  our  chairs  on  their  backs. 
Soon  the  steps  became  almost  continuous  and  in- 
creasingly slippery.  The  longest  flight  was  over  1 200 
steps,  and  as  the  steps  sloped  downwards  and  were 
covered  with  ice  the  ascent  was  most  fatiguing  and 
toilsome.  The  day  was  grey  and  cloudy,  but  the  shift- 
ing mists  revealed  crags  and  abysses,  and  all  along  our 
path  there  was  a wealth  of  lovely  shrubs — camellias, 
rhododendrons,  bamboos,  and  ferns.  The  frost  had 
coated  everything,  and  the  leaves  were  reproduced 
in  ice,  looking  exadlly  like  clear  glass;  sprays  of  dead 
blossom,  tall  grasses,  delicate  ferns,  everything  was 
duplicated  in  ice,  and  the  slight  thaw  early  in  the 
day  detached  this  ice  from  the  vegetation.  We  were 
sorry  not  to  see  in  full  beauty  the  flowers  and  ferns  for 
which  Mount  Omi  is  justly  celebrated,  but  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  conceive  anything  lovelier 
than  what  we  did  see. 

Our  midday  halt  at  a monastery  was  provokingly 
long,  as  the  men’s  food  had  to  be  cooked,  so  that  we 
did  not  start  for  a couple  of  hours.  The  sight  of 
fowls  here  was  a pleasant  surprise  to  us,  as  the  Bud- 
dhists obviously  could  have  no  use  for  them  and  our 
larder  needed  replenishing.  We  secured  some  eggs. 


ch.  xvii  Mount  Omi 

and  asked  for  a fowl  also.  When  we  came  to  pay  for 
it,  however,  the  monks  said  that  they  did  not  sell  any- 
thing. If  we  liked  to  put  our  names  down  on  their 
subscription  list  (which  a monk  forthwith  produced) 
for  the  restoration  of  the  monastery,  we  should  be 
welcome  to  a fowl  as  a gift,  not  otherwise.  We  set 
out  again,  and  found  our  way  grow  more  and  more 
precipitous  and  slippery.  We  met  Tibetan  pilgrims, 
a wild  and  fierce-looking  company,  toiling  painfully 
upwards  like  ourselves,  or  slithering  down.  All  these 
are  welcomed  and  entertained  in  the  monasteries. 
Our  soldier  escort  was  evidently  very  much  afraid  of 
them,  and  had  a great  deal  to  say  of  their  evil  doings, 
warning  us  to  keep  close  together  and  close  to  him- 
self. As  I approached  a group  of  pilgrims  in  one  of 
the  monasteries,  in  order  to  watch  a man  blowing  up 
his  fire  with  a goatskin  bellows,  one  of  them  scowled 
at  me  and  waved  me  away,  as  if  he  feared  our  shar- 
ing his  thieving  propensities.  This  is  the  season  for 
Tibetan  pilgrims,  and  many  of  them  had  travelled 
far,  bringing  their  beasts  of  burden  with  them.  The 
Chinese  pilgrims  come  in  the  spring,  and  there  was  a 
big  pilgrimage  ten  years  ago — so  a monk  told  us.  The 
air  grew  intensely  cold  and  dense,  and,  as  twilight  fell, 
our  men  urged  us  to  halt  about  two  miles  short  of  the 
summit,  where  there  was  a good  monastery.  To  this 
we  willingly  agreed,  the  more  so  as  my  breathing  had 
grown  extremely  difficult,  and  I was  beginning  to  feel 
at  the  end  of  my  strength.  Our  lofty  room  was  clean 
and  well  built,  and  the  ten  beds  around  it  all  stood 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xvii 

empty.  Soon  a large  glowing  brazier  was  brought  in, 
and  we  were  thankful  not  only  to  get  warm,  but  also 
to  dry  our  clothes,  which  were  heavy  with  mist. 

Mount  Omi  is  ii,ooo  feet  high,  and  Kiating  is 
only  1200,  so  we  had  come  into  a wholly  different 
temperature,  and  when  we  woke  in  the  morning  it 
was  to  find  everything  frozen  hard — sponges  like 
boards,  oranges  as  hard  as  bullets,  and  the  water  in 
my  sketching-bottle  a lump  of  ice.  But  the  sun  was 
shiningbrilliantly,and  the  mountain-top  was  adazzling 
vision  of  loveliness  emerging  from  a vast  ocean  of 
clouds.  It  took  us  about  an  hour  to  arrive  at  the 
summit,  and  the  priest  told  us  that  as  the  sun  shone 
we  were  evidently  good  people.  This  was  highly 
satisfadfory,  as  so  many  people  thought  us  fools  for 
attempting  the  ascent  at  this  time  of  year,  telling  us 
of  all  the  people  who  had  toiled  to  the  top  and  seen 
nothing.  We  anxiously  inquired  at  what  time  of 
day  we  could  see  “ Buddha’s  Glory,”  a sort  of  Brocken 
spedtre  which  is  rarely  seen  by  travellers,  and  which 
we  were  told  could  not  be  seen  at  all  at  this  time  of 
year.  Standing  on  the  edge  of  the  summit,  you  look 
down  a precipice  of  more  than  a mile,  and  we  could 
only  feast  our  eyes  on  the  ever-changing  scene,  the 
clouds  looking  as  if  they  were  boiling  up  from  some 
hidden  caldron,  now  concealing,  now  revealing  the 
peaks  of  distant  mountains.  On  a clear  day  the  far- 
distant  snowy  peaks  of  Tibet  are  visible,  and  the 
glorious  fertile  plain  out  of  which  the  limestone  peak 
of  Mount  Omi  rises. 


192 


SUMMIT  OK  MOUNT  OMl 


1 ■'  55- ♦ 

JjSgaiift 

ulBS  1- 

-►i«rw 


. f 

, ^ 


% 


I 


ch.  xvii  Motint  Omi 

I established  myself  in  a sunny  nook  under  the 
temple  eaves,  and  sent  for  hot  water  with  which  to 
sketch  the  neighbouringcragof  the  “ 1 0,000  Buddhas.” 
After  lunch  1 sketched  the  interior  of  the  Buddha 
shrine  with  all  its  gaudy,  squalid  trappings,  a harmony 
in  reds.  I was  amazed  to  see  the  brevity  of  the 
worshippers’  prayers  ; owing,  I think,  to  their  fear  of 
my  introducing  them  into  the  sketch.  The  three 
figures  of  the  Buddha  were  behind  a large  red  curtain, 
in  which  were  openings  through  which  they  could 
be  dimly  discerned.  We  went  back  to  our  former 
quarters  for  the  night,  but  had  very  little  rest,  as  the 
coolies  went  in  for  a night  of  revelry,  in  which  we 
felt  sure  the  monks  shared,  although  our  suggestion 
to  that  effedf  next  day  was  vehemently  repudiated. 
The  descent  of  the  mountain  we  found  extremely 
arduous,  despite  our  being  shod  with  straw  sandals  and 
having  the  support  of  our  pilgrim  sticks  ; it  was  dread- 
fully slippery,  and  for  six  and  a half  hours  we  toiled 
steadily  down  flights  of  steps,  or  glissaded  down  them 
on  our  backs.  We  calculated  the  distance  as  not 
much  less  than  twelve  miles.  The  stiffness  produced 
was  not  quite  so  bad  as  I had  anticipated,  but  it  makes 
you  feel  extremely  foolish  to  have  to  watch  each  step 
you  take  in  order  to  be  sure  that  your  feet  are  obeying 
your  bidding.  Then  you  see  the  coolies  pick  up  the 
chairs  and  carry  you  for  another  three  hours  after  you 
are  dead  beat  as  if  they  had  done  nothing.  We  spent 
the  night  at  a clean  new  inn  about  three  miles  from 
the  town  of  Omi,  and  for  the  first  time  we  occupied 

193  N 


The  Face  of  China  ch,  xvii 

an  upstairs  bedroom  in  a Chinese  house.  After  this 
occasion  we  always  used  to  try  and  secure  one,  but 
our  stiffness  then  made  it  extremely  painful  to  get 
up  the  steep  staircase.  It  was  like  mounting  into 
a loft,  and  was  a very  pleasant  variety  from  any  inn 
we  had  yet  encountered. 

The  following  morning  we  made  an  early  start,  so 
as  to  have  a little  time  in  Kiating  to  colleft  our  be- 
longings and  go  on  board  a boat  to  take  us  to  Sui  Fu. 
Our  temper  was  sorely  tried  by  the  delay  of  our  men 
and  the  changing  of  some  of  them  at  Omi  Hsien, 
which  delayed  us  about  an  hour.  By  dint  of  offering 
extra  pay,  however,  we  made  up  some  time,  and  came 
upon  an  interesting  sight  to  beguile  us  on  the  way — 
namely,  cormorants  and  an  otter  fishing.  When  we 
got  to  the  Tong  River — the  third  river  that  we  saw 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain — we  were  rowed  down 
to  Kiating,  a distance  of  some  four  miles.  We  were 
curious  to  see  what  the  coolies  would  pay  for  the  boat 
journey,  as  they  had  arranged  the  matter.  For  the 
four  chairs  and  the  eighteen  people,  the  whole  cost 
was  thirty  cash — namely,  three  farthings.  We  got  back 
to  Kiating  soon  after  four  o’clock,  and  found  that  our 
friends  had  kindly  got  everything  ready  for  our  de- 
parture. The  thought  of  two  quiet  days  on  the  boat 
was  not  unacceptable  after  a somewhat  laborious  but 
entirely  satisfactory  trip  up  Mount  Omi,  and  it  was 
many  days  before  we  recovered  from  our  stiffness. 
Owing  to  mist,  we  did  not  see  the  impressive  view  of 
Mount  Omi  as  it  rises  from  the  plain. 

194 


CHAPTER  XVIIl 

From  Szechwan  into  Yunnan 

The  boat  in  which  we  continued  our  journey 
down  the  Min  River  was  rather  larger  than 
the  one  we  had  previously,  but  still  we  could 
not  stand  upright  in  it.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  get 
just  what  you  want  in  the  way  of  boats,  especially  at 
this  time  of  year  ; but  it  was  not  a long  journey, 
although  our  men  took  about  four  times  as  long  as 
they  ought  to  have  done,  and  it  was  only  by  offering 
extra  payment  that  we  managed  to  do  it  in  two  days. 
We  had  one  piece  of  good  luck  on  the  way.  Our  kind 
friends  at  Chengtu,  when  replenishing  our  stores,  had 
lamented  the  non-arrival  of  a large  case  of  biscuits 
sent  out  by  friends  in  England,  mentioning  the  name 
of  the  firm  from  which  they  were  coming.  As  we 
neared  Sui  Fu  we  were  watching  divers  getting  up 
cases  which  had  evidently  been  shipwrecked,  and  con- 
spicuous amongst  them  was  a large  case  bearing  the 
name  referred  to.  On  arrival  at  Sui  Fu  we  reported 
this  at  the  mission  station  where  we  stayed,  and  learnt 
that  they  had  heard  of  the  wreck  and  sent  to  inquire 
whether  the  case  had  been  got  up.  Shortly  after- 
wards their  messenger  returned,  saying  that  it  could 

19s 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

not  be  found.  Our  information  being  explicit,  we 
described  exaftly  the  spot  where  we  had  seen  the  wreck, 
a few  miles  above  the  town  ; the  man  was  sent  again 
and  told  that  he  must  bring  the  case,  as  we  had  seen 
for  ourselves  that  it  had  been  got  up.  This  time  he 
returned  in  triumph  with  it.  Probably  the  divers 
thought  that  they  would  get  a better  price  by  selling 
the  contents,  and  if  we  had  not  seen  it  our  friends 
would  not  have  seen  it  either. 

The  town  of  Sui  Fu  is  most  charmingly  situated, 
lying  at  the  jundtion  of  the  Yangtze  and  the  Min 
rivers,  and  is  enclosed  in  a fork  between  the  two,  with 
beautiful  hills  rising  above  it.  Its  name  is  both  spelt 
and  pronounced  in  various  ways,  to  the  great  bewilder- 
ment of  those  who  address  letters.  It  is  Sui  Fu,  or 
Hsui  Fu,  or  Su  Cheo,  or  Schow,  or  Su  Chau,  or  it  may 
be  rendered  in  various  other  ways.  Well  might  the 
London  telegraph  clerk  say  to  my  sister,  “ If  you  send 
a wire  it  is  only  at  your  own  risk,”  in  answer  to  my 
wire  from  Peking  giving  the  Pekinese  spelling.  It  is 
a busy  and  flourishing  place,  and  possesses  a Roman 
Catholic  cathedral  as  well  as  a convent. 

A Roman  Catholic  priest  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
local  divinity,  which  is  certainly  an  interesting  speci- 
men of  art,  if  nothing  more  ; but  the  priest  is  firmly 
persuaded  that  it  is  St.  Thomas,  and  takes  all  his  friends 
to  see  it.  The  god  is  enshrined  in  a temple  on  a hill- 
side overlooking  the  town.  It  is  a most  beautiful 
situation,  but  somewhat  spoilt  by  the  fadt  that  it  is 
entirely  covered  with  graves.  Hills  are  frequently 

196 


COPPER  IMAGE,  SUIFU 


ch.  xviii  Fro7n  Szechwan  mto  IT ilnnan 

utilised  for  this  purpose,  and  contain  thousands  of 
graves.  The  gaudily  painted  figure  is  i8  feet  high 
and  5|  feet  broad,  made  of  fine  red  copper.  It  stands 
on  a large  bronze  turtle,  from  which,  unfortunately,  a 
good  part  has  been  stolen  ; the  head  alone  is  in  ex- 
cellent preservation.  It  was  eredted  some  hundreds 
of  years  ago  by  the  Lolos  or  Ibien,  an  aboriginal 
tribe  who  then  held  possession  of  this  part  of  the 
country.  They  believed  that  he  was  a saint  who 
came  over  the  seas  on  a turtle,  and  this  certainly 
corresponds  with  the  legend  of  St.  Thomas  going  to 
India.  It  is  a very  truculent-looking  saint,  not  lightly 
to  be  parted  from  his  sword.  The  figure  is  well  fenced 
off  from  view  by  large  bars,  though  one  has  been  re- 
moved, so  that  people  can  push  through  and  get  a 
closer  look  at  him.  While  I was  busy  sketching,  a 
priest  came  up  to  look,  with  his  long  hair  fastened 
on  the  top  of  his  head  by  a carved  wooden  pin.  The 
priests  do  not  plait  their  hair,  but  simply  twist  it  up 
into  a sort  of  “ bun.”  A woman  came  up  with  offer- 
ings— fowl,  sweets,  Gfc. — which,  after  they  had  been 
offered  to  the  god,  she  would  take  home  and  eat  with 
the  greater  relish.  This  is  certainly  a way  of  killing 
two  birds  with  one  stone,  as  she  was  too  poor  to  have 
eaten  chicken  on  ordinary  occasions.  As  we  came 
down  the  hill  we  met  the  chief  mourner  of  a funeral, 
wearing  the  coarsest  sackcloth,  which  he  could  scarcely 
prevent  from  falling  off,  as  it  is  incorredt  on  such 
occasions  to  gird  it  round  the  waist. 

We  left  Sui  Fu  on  January  14th,  en  route  for  Yunnan 

197 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

Fu,  and  felt  that  the  seasons  had  got  strangely  mixed 
up,  as  we  wended  our  way  along  the  banks  of  the 
Yangtze.  This  part  of  it  is  called  the  “ river  of  the 
golden  sand.”  It  is  quite  a misnomer,  for  it  is  as 
mud-coloured  as  ever.  The  peas  were  in  various 
stages  of  growth  in  the  part  of  the  river-bed  from 
which  the  water  had  subsided.  Some  looked  lovely 
with  their  white,  pink,  or  plum-coloured  blossoms  ; 
others  were  quite  small,  only  a few  inches  high  ; and 
others  again  we  enjoyed  for  our  evening  meal.  The 
people  were  all  busy  harvesting  the  sugar-cane,  and 
we  seemed  to  be  the  only  persons  here  not  chewing 
it.  Our  soldiers  surreptitiously  stole  it  from  the  loads 
that  were  being  carried  along  the  road.  Beautiful 
orange  groves  on  the  steep  slopes  above  the  river  were 
full  of  ripe  fruit.  Men  were  busy  preparing  the  soil 
for  other  crops  by  breaking  the  sods  with  mallets  after 
they  had  been  ploughed.  The  whole  land  is  one 
great  ceaseless  field  of  labour,  where  every  one  works 
from  early  childhood  to  extreme  old  age. 

On  the  fourth  day’s  journey  we  reached  the  borders 
of  the  province  of  Yunnan.  Our  road  parted  from 
the  Yangtze  and  ran  for  many  days  parallel  with  a 
lovely  river  (of  a deep  blue-green  colour  like  those  in 
the  Pyrenees),  whose  course  we  followed  from  the 
point  where  it  fell  into  the  Yangtze  up  to  its  birth- 
place in  the  mountains.  Sometimes  thepathway  winds 
high  up  the  hill-sides,  and  sometimes  almost  down 
to  the  river’s  edge.  The  cormorants  were  busy  fishing 
— not  for  John  Chinaman,  but  for  themselves.  We 

198 


CORMORANTS  ON  THE  CORMORANT  RIVER 


ch.  xviii  From  S'zechwan  into  ITilnnan 

had  the  merriest  set  of  sturdy  carriers,  who  treated  our 
weight  as  if  it  were  a mere  joke,  and  laughed  and 
ran  with  us,  despite  the  roughness  of  the  way,  and 
rather  to  our  terror  sometimes.  They  are  much 
stronger  than  the  ordinary  Szechwan  coolies.  Indeed, 
that  is  a necessity  in  the  case  of  these  roads,  which  are 
no  better  than  sheep-tracks  in  the  Cumberland  fells, 
despite  their  being  the  great  trade-route  between  the 
two  largest  provinces  of  Western  China.  Day  by  day 
we  revelled  in  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  and  its  ever- 
varying  charms.  There  was  subtler  charm  in  them 
than  there  would  have  been  when  the  flowers  are  in 
blossom,  for  it  was  the  moment  when  the  earth  was 
awakening  after  its  winter  sleep  ; every  twig  was  be- 
ginning to  change  colour  ; the  buds  were  swelling  ; 
the  delicate  fronds  of  innumerable  ferns  were  uncurl- 
ing ; the  birds  were  hesitatingly  trying  their  notes  ; 
and  the  sun  had  not  yet  given  the  dazzling  blue  to 
the  sky  which  comes  later  on.  It  only  illuminated 
and  irradiated,  but  did  not  dazzle  the  eyes.  We  felt 
that  we  had  come  exadlly  at  the  right  moment,  for 
the  weather  was  perfedl  for  walking,  and  it  was  not 
nearly  so  cold  as  we  expedled.  The  inns  are  not  so 
bad  as  they  have  been  described,  and  we  came  on  one 
where  there  was  a beautiful  large  window — above  the 
pig-sty — overlooking  the  country,  and  the  unwonted 
light  had  encouraged  travellers  to  make  remarks  on 
the  walls  in  French,  German,  and  English,  as  well  as 
Chinese. 

After  entering  Yunnan  we  came  to  a substantial 

199 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

suspension-bridge,  made  of  eight  parallel  iron  chains, 
and  with  chain  hand-rails  ; but  the  planks  on  it  were 
strewn  about  in  a desultory  way,  calculated  to  upset 
unseasoned  travellers.  At  either  end  of  the  bridge 
was  a solid  block  of  masonry,  surmounted  by  a temple 
through  which  the  chains  passed  and  were  buried  deep 
into  the  ground.  These  bridges  are  often  a consider- 
able length,  and  do  not  hang  at  a natural  swing,  but 
are  drawn  up  as  tightly  as  possible  with  hawsers;  which, 
of  course,  makes  a heavy  strain  upon  the  chains.  This 
kind  of  bridge  is  to  be  found  throughout  the  province, 
and  they  always  seem  in  good  condition.  We  cannot 
help  wishing  that  a little  of  the  engineer’s  skill  had 
also  been  expended  on  the  steep  rough  track  which 
led  up  from  the  bridge.  The  roads  are  apparently 
never  mended,  and  in  some  places  had  fallen  away,  or 
had  been  covered  by  a small  landslip. 

It  was  curious  to  see  the  change  of  vegetation  when 
we  crossed  the  border,  the  poppy  replacing  the  pea  to 
a large  extent.  Yunnan  is  the  greatest  opium-growing 
province  in  the  Empire,  and  the  best  ; but  there  is 
already  a perceptible  diminution  since  the  new  anti- 
opium Afts.  We  saw  peas  of  various  kinds,  and  one 
that  is  grown  for  making  oil  is  quite  peculiar  : the 
peas  grow  three  together  like  a berry.  As  we  ap- 
proached a somewhat  barren  district  the  men  had  to 
have  a feast  at  our  expense,  and  in  view  of  the  future 
scarcity  of  their  much-esteemed  pork,  our  soldiers  had 
provided  themselves  with  a large  joint,  which  I found 
in  one  of  the  coolies’  hats  attached  to  the  back  of  my 

200 


LAOWATAN  RIVER 


ch.  xviii  From  Szechwan  into  ITiinnan 

chair.  They  never  scrupled  to  hang  their  dainties, 
besides  an  extensive  wardrobe,  pipes,  ©“c.,  on  to  our 
chairs,  and  as  the  day  proceeded  they  peeled  off 
their  coats  till  they  had  shed  three  or  four  at  the 
least. 

We  noticed  an  odd  procession  one  day  wending  its 
way  along  the  opposite  river-bank.  First  came  a 
white  banner  with  apparently  two  mourners  ; then  a 
few  people  carrying  little  pennons  of  various  colours  ; 
then  a pig  borne  aloft  on  a shutter  ; then  more  boys 
and  men  carrying  pennons ; the  whole  accompanied  by 
the  beating  of  drums.  The  procession  was  on  its  way 
to  a grave  to  pay  homage  to  a dead  ancestor,  in  which 
ceremony  the  pig  would  be  the  piece  de  resistance  at  a 
sort  of  perennial  feast  for  the  dead.  Later  on  we  met 
a procession  carrying  a corpse  on  a stretcher,  with 
no  signs  of  mourning  beyond  a man  strewing  paper 
money  after  it. 

We  followed  the  beautiful  river  Laowat’an  as  far  as 
the  village  of  that  name,  and  up  to  this  point  we  were 
continually  accompanied  by  the  unmelodious  cries  of 
trackers  pulling  large  junks  up  the  rapids  ; beyond  that 
point  navigation  is  impossible.  Laowat’an  means“Cor- 
morant  rapid,”  and  although  it  is  quite  a good-sized 
village,  we  found  that  the  only  room  at  the  inn  was 
very  small,  filled  with  four  dirty  beds,  with  no  window, 
and  close  to  the  most  noxious  open  drain.  Having 
seen  in  Little’s  pamphlet  about  this  journey  that  he 
had  stayed  at  a native  evangelist’s  house  here,  we  took 
the  hint  and  sent  to  see  if  we  could  do  likewise.  We 


201 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

received  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  and  found  that 
the  house  was  close  by.  Though  the  evangelist  him- 
self was  not  at  home,  we  were  warmly  welcomed  by 
his  wife.  She  took  us  to  a nice  large  upper  room, 
with  a most  attractive  window  overlooking  the  street, 
which  was  full  of  an  amusing  crowd  busy  marketing. 
One  man’s  occupation  appeared  to  be  carrying  a pipe 
round,  from  which  people  had  a whiff  or  two.  We 
found  our  new  quarters  vastly  more  entertaining  than 
the  inn,  and  held  an  interesting  conversation  with  our 
hostess  by  means  of  pictures  and  dumb-show,  as  we 
had  no  one  to  interpret.  I hope  we  did  not  tell  many 
lies  by  mistake,  but  fear  that  it  is  not  improbable. 
The  next  morning  we  felt  quite  sorry  to  leave  these 
nice  people,  who  had  been  so  friendly  to  us.  We  were 
greatly  struck  with  the  fine  poultry  all  through  this 
district.  My  Aberdonian  poulterer  would  with  great 
justice  describe  them  as  “some  fine  beasts.”  There 
are  the  handsomest  pure  white  and  coal-black  hens, 
besides  fowls  of  various  colours.  The  eggs,  too,  are  a 
splendid  size,  and  are  to  be  obtained  everywhere.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  fowls  is  that  many  of  them  have 
black  skins  and  black  bones,  which  are  most  unap- 
petising to  look  at,  but  they  are  considered  the  best 
kind  for  eating.  There  were  plenty  of  vegetables, 
pears,  oranges,  and  peanuts  to  be  had,  and  so  far  we 
could  see  no  signs  of  the  dearth  of  food  of  which  we 
had  heard  such  alarming  accounts.  There  are  every- 
where pigs  in  abundance  : some  of  them  are  a curious 
fawn  colour. 


202 


OUU  MII.ITAKV  KSC:ORT  “OKI’IIAN  SI'IKIT  SHRINK 


ch.  xviii  Fro?n  S%echwan  into  Yilnnati 

We  crossed  a fine  suspension-bridge  after  leaving 
Laovvat’an,  and  took  a path  leading  upwards  for  about 
a couple  of  hours  over  the  mountains.  A light  for 
the  “ orphan  spirits  ” might  well  be  needed  on  such 
a road.  The  chair-carriers  found  it  difficult  work,  and 
we  got  on  much  more  quickly  on  our  own  feet ; though 
the  coolies  made  no  suggestion  that  we  should  walk, 
despite  the  fadt  that  we  had  authorised  them  to  do  so 
whenever  the  road  was  difficult.  They  are  so  willing 
and  attentive  in  performing  any  little  service — such 
as  cleaning  one’s  boots  after  walking  through  a quag- 
mire— that  one  the  more  gladly  saves  them  when  the 
road  is  stiff.  One  coolie  fell  and  wrenched  his  knee 
rather  badly,  but  he  went  on  most  uncomplainingly, 
and  showed  intense  gratitude  on  getting  it  bathed  and 
bandaged.  In  fadl,  from  this  time  on  he  was  our 
devoted  slave.  We  were  interested  to  meet  quite  a 
new  god  in  this  region.  He  has  three  faces,  and  often 
wears  a large  stone  hat.  He  is  carved  in  stone,  and 
stands  by  the  roadside  like  a little  milestone  at  intervals 
all  along  the  way  ; but  frequently  there  are  no  signs 
of  worship  about  him.  He  is  called  by  the  Buddhist 
formula  “ O mi  to  fu,”  and  is  worshipped  by  the  coolies 
to  prevent  their  getting  sore  feet,  so  they  frequently 
burn  sandals  (quite  new  ones)  before  him,  and  incense 
sticks  may  be  seen  in  front  of  his  image.  Day  by 
day  we  went  up  and  down  the  most  precipitous 
places,  gradually  rising  to  the  Yunnan  plateau.  The 
road  grew  worse  and  worse,  being  much  injured  by 
the  long  trains  of  pack-animals.  Ponies,  mules,  and 

203 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

donkeys  are  driven  in  parties  of  from  ten  to  thirty  ; and 
not  only  do  they  make  the  road  full  of  little  round  holes, 
but  also  they  are  a dreadful  hindrance,  frequently  com- 
pletely blocking  the  way.  The  path,  besides,  has  large 
round  stones  embedded  in  it,  which  are  polished  by  the 
coolies’  sandals  till  they  shine  like  porphyry.  One  day 
we  met  dozens  of  mules  going  down  a breakneck  zig- 
zag staircase  in  the  rocks,  and  we  were  bespattered 
by  them  with  mud  from  head  to  toe,  being  compelled 
to  wait  while  they  went  past.  How  they  keep  their 
footing  it  is  hard  to  tell,  and  it  is  sad  to  see  their 
sore  backs  when  their  loads  are  off.  The  loads  being 
carried  are  of  a most  varied  description  ; copper,  tin, 
coal,  salt,  skins,  spices,  chillies,  armadillo  skins,  paper, 
bowls,  opium,  and  later  in  the  season  large  quantities 
of  the  wax  insedt  “ larvae.”  In  a recent  official  report 
the  road  from  Sui  Fu  to  Chaotung  is  described  as  one 
of  the  worst  in  the  Empire,  but  it  is  good  compared 
with  others  in  the  north  of  the  same  province.  The 
Chinese  have  given  picturesque  names  to  some  of  these 
bad  ones,  such  as  “The  King  of  Hell’s  Slide,”  the 
“ Gate  to  Hell,”  the  “ Last  Look  at  Home,”  the 
“ Place  where  the  Soul  is  Lost.”  Describing  this  road 
on  the  borders  of  Babuland,  where  the  Lolos  live,  S. 
Pollard  writes  that  from  one  spot  he  counted  no  fewer 
than  sixty  towers  of  refuge. 

For  ten  days  we  followed  the  course  of  the 
Laowat’an,  or  Taquan  River,  till  at  last  we  traced  it 
to  its  source  where  it  gushes  out  of  a hole  from  the 
bowels  of  the  mountain  as  quite  a large,  brawling 

204 


I 


i 


lOWKR  OK  KKKUOK  “OMI  TO  KU  SHRINK 


ch.  xviii  From  Sxechwan  into  Yilnnan 

stream  in  a sort  of  cul-de-sac  of  the  hill.  Its  banks 
are  frequented  by  the  ubiquitous  wagtail,  the  fierce- 
eyed cormorant,  and  the  most  cheery  little  blackbird 
with  a white  cap  and  black-tipped  chestnut  tail,  which 
it  flirts  as  assiduously  as  the  water  wagtail  does.  In 
one  part  there  was  a fine  limestone  crag  overshadow- 
ing the  river,  and  high  up  in  its  ledges  there  are  still 
to  be  seen  dilapidated  fragments  of  coffins,  said  to  date 
back  as  far  as  the  time  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  How 
they  were  conveyed  to  such  a position  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive.  For  an  hour  after  leaving  the  stream 
we  climbed  laboriously  up  the  hillside  till  we  were 
swallowed  in  the  mist,  and  at  last  emerged  into  quite 
a different  and  much  more  familiar  landscape,  a bog 
moorland,  on  which  were  scattered  thatched  cottages 
from  which  a pleasant  smell  of  burning  peat  greeted 
our  nostrils.  We  felt  as  if  we  were  suddenly  trans- 
ported to  Ireland.  We  sat  down  to  rest  by  a cottage 
where  a woman  was  selling  inviting-looking  sweets, 
and  she  was  as  pleased  as  our  men  were  when  we 
distributed  them  among  the  party.  They  were 
made  of  the  nuts  and  sugar  grown  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. Not  an  hour  before,  we  had  left  groups 
of  bamboos  and  tall  fan  palms,  and  the  contrast  of 
the  new  country  was  certainly  very  startling.  The 
cottagers  looked  poor  and  scantily  clad,  and  from 
this  point  on  they  seemed  to  be  poorer  and  poorer 
looking. 

All  the  next  day  we  gradually  descended  towards 
the  city  of  Chaotung,  and  it  appeared  to  be  a specially 

205 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xviii 

auspicious  day  for  pig-killing  (the  people  are  very 
particular  in  such  matters),  in  preparation  for  their 
New  Year  festivities.  Every  house  almost  that  we 
passed  that  morning  was  the  scene  of  these  prepara- 
tions, and  the  keenest  interest  and  expectation  was 
depicted  on  every  face  but  our  own.  Our  coolies 
would  have  dearly  loved  to  stop  to  watch  the  enter- 
tainment, but,  as  may  be  supposed,  we  did  not 
allow  this. 

The  prefeCtural  town  of  Chaotung  was  reached  after 
passing  through  a dull  plain,  across  which  a piercing 
wind  was  blowing,  which  is  characteristic  of  this 
district.  It  is  an  interesting  little  place,  and  is  much 
frequented  by  many  of  the  Miao  (aboriginal  tribes) 
in  their  picturesque  dress.  The  Wha  Miaos  ( = flowery 
Miao)  are  so  called  because  of  the  colour  of  their 
dress,  which  is  dyed  blue  and  red  by  an  ingenious 
method  of  stencilling  the  cloth,  using  beeswax  to 
make  the  design.  They  are  totally  unlike  the  Chinese, 
the  only  point  of  similarity  being  the  wearing  of  the 
pigtail  by  the  men  ; but  they  have  a religion  and 
language  of  their  own,  and  keep  absolutely  aloof  from 
the  Chinese.  The  women,  when  married,  wear  their 
hair  ereCted  Into  a horn,  which  sticks  out  from  the 
side  of  the  head  ; but  as  soon  as  they  have  children  the 
horn  is  ereCled  straight  up  from  the  top.  They  are 
very  shy  people,  but  as  I was  anxious  to  get  a sketch 
of  a woman,  I got  the  missionary  to  persuade  her  to 
sing  while  I made  a few  notes.  She  was  dressed  in  a 
pretty  red  and  blue  garment,  with  a large  felt  cape 

206 


WHA  .MIAO 


I 


yc  ov 


ch.  xviii  F?'om  Szechwan  into  Yiinnan 

over  it,  and  wore  a full  short  petticoat  of  blue  and 
white.  Both  men  and  women  wear  gaiters  and 
loose  leather  boots,  and  the  men’s  sleeves  are  looped 
up  in  a pidluresque  way  as  in  the  accompanying 
sketch.  The  women  carry  their  babies  slung  on 
their  backs. 


207 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Road  to  Yunnan  Fu 

TER  a couple  of  days’  halt  we  started  for  the 


the  twelve  days’  stages  at  four  taels  per  man,  with  the 
additional  inducement  of  a pork-feast  on  New  Year’s 
Day.  The  first  day  we  passed  through  somewhat  un- 
interesting country,  but  then  we  climbed  up  amongst 
the  mountains  and  reached  one  specially  fine  point  of 
view,  from  which  we  saw  five  ranges,  one  beyond  the 
other,  and  to  the  west  a lovely  snow  range.  From 
there  we  made  our  way  down  a most  precipitous  slope 
to  the  bottom  of  a valley,  where  a noisy  brook  was 
spanned  by  one  of  the  fascinating  iron  suspension- 
bridges.  This  bridge  is  composed  of  eight  parallel 
thick  iron  chains  with  connecting  links,  and  the 
masonry  at  each  end  is  very  fine.  The  hand-rails 
were  decorated  with  graphic  carvings  of  monkeys  and 
other  apocryphal  beasts  at  each  end.  The  little  village 
was  eminently  pidfuresque,  and  the  willows  were 
already  in  their  delicate  spring  green,  contrasting  well 
with  the  stiff  blue-green  prickly  pears.  Coming  down 
the  slope,  our  eyes  had  feasted  on  the  sight  of  pink 
fruit  blossom,  and  on  the  farther  side  of  the  stream  we 


capital,  with  new  coolies  for  the  most  part — 
fine,  strong  men — who  had  arranged  to  do 


Ul'l.ANI)  VII.I.AdK  L’H  CHAI 


ch.  xix  T’he  Road  to  ITUnnan  Fu 

came  next  day  to  dazzling  white  pear-trees.  Cer- 
tain shrubs  blossom  even  while  snow  is  on  the  ground, 
and  this  is  a favourite  motif  both  in  Chinese  and  in 
Japanese  art. 

All  the  trees  were  beginning  to  bud,  and  the  birds 
to  sing  and  mate,  although  it  was  only  the  end  of 
January.  As  we  neared  Tungchwan  Yun  we  saw 
various  new  species  of  birds,  and  especially  large  num- 
bers of  cranes,  mainly  grey,  but  some  white,  and  one 
solitary  black  one  standing  alone  on  the  edge  of  the 
stream,  as  their  habit  is.  The  first  view  of  the  city 
is  pidturesque,  as  it  is  seen  from  the  high  hills  over- 
looking the  plain  full  of  rice-fields.  The  city  nestles 
under  the  farther  hill-side  and  looks  as  if  it  could 
be  reached  in  an  hour  or  so,  whereas  it  takes  at  least 
three  times  as  long.  In  a village  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
the  preparations  for  the  New  Year  were  in  full  swing. 
Every  door  was  being  cleaned  for  the  new  gods  to 
be  pasted  up  together  with  mottoes  and  other  decora- 
tions. Great  washing  was  going  on  in  a large  puddle 
in  the  middle  of  the  village  ; clothes,  bowls,  cooking 
utensils,  fowls  for  the  feast,  vegetables,  Close 

by  were  large  flocks  of  wild  ducks,  teal,  and  other 
birds,  which  made  one’s  mouth  water  to  see,  now  that 
we  had  reached  a part  of  the  country  where  the  resi- 
dents can  rarely  get  anything  except  pork  and  fowls  in 
the  way  of  meat.  Tungchwan  is  quite  pretty,  owing 
both  to  its  situation  and  to  the  number  of  trees  in  it. 
Also  it  looked  remarkably  clean  and  bright  with  its 
decorations,  red,  orange,  blue,  and  gold,  on  all  the 

209  o 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xix 

doors  ; but  that  may  have  been  merely  because  it  was 
New  Year’s  Eve  (January  3 ist).  There  was  much  less 
noise  of  crackers  all  night  than  we  had  expedted,  and 
we  were  told  that  the  custom  of  keeping  New  Year’s 
Day  is  much  less  formally  observed  than  it  used  to  be. 
Nothing  would  have  induced  our  coolies,  however,  to 
travel  that  day,  and  all  the  shops  were  closed,  and 
people  were  walking  about  in  their  new  clothes  and 
cleanly  shaven.  We  went  to  see  a Confucian  temple 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  which  had  evidently  been 
visited  by  the  scholars  of  the  place,  and  in  which  there 
were  little  heaps  of  offerings,  each  consisting  of  five 
oranges  in  front  of  every  tablet.  There  were  a number 
of  courtyards  and  some  fine  trees  in  them,  especially 
some  interesting  specimens  of  the  sensitive  tree. — If 
you  scratch  the  trunk  every  twig  quivers.  There  are 
a great  many  insedl  trees  throughout  the  whole  dis- 
tridl,  in  which  the  white  wax  insedl  is  bred.  Before 
they  come  out  of  the  trunk  little  bunches  of  straw 
about  the  size  of  two  fingers  are  tied  to  it,  in  which 
the  larvse  are  afterwards  found.  We  were  very  sorry 
that  lack  of  time  prevented  our  making  an  excursion 
into  the  neighbouring  distridf,  which  is  inhabited  by 
aboriginal  tribes.  The  Wesleyan  missionaries  have 
been  civilising  some  of  these  people,  and  one  of  their 
number  has  successfully  reduced  the  Miao  language 
to  writing  by  an  ingenious  adaptation  of  Pitman’s 
shorthand  system.  The  tribesmen  are  able  to  read 
and  write  in  a few  weeks,  and  have  taken  to  writing 
letters  to  one  another  like  ducks  to  water.  There  are 


210 


- ^ 


ch.  xix  The  Road  to  Yihman  Fu 

many  different  tribes  among  the  mountains,  some  very 
shy  and  unapproachable,  and  with  curious  customs  of 
their  own.  A member  of  the  mission  described  to  us 
a curious  race  that  takes  place  in  Babii  land  where  the 
Manzas  live,  but  which  had  never  been  visited  before 
by  European  women.  The  course  is  strewn  with  the 
feathers  of  fowls,  and  the  men  wear  very  full,  short, 
circular  dark  capes,  and  a sort  of  crest  on  their  heads. 
Then  they  put  their  ponies  at  full  gallop,  and  extend 
their  arms  so  that  they  look  like  eagles  with  extended 
wings  as  they  sweep  round  the  course  ventre  a terre, 
enveloped  in  a cloud  of  feathers  and  dust.  Some  of 
the  tribes  are  very  wild  ; not  infrequently  the  Lolos  or 
Ibien,  as  they  prefer  to  be  called,  kidnap  the  Chinese 
and  make  them  pay  a heavy  ransom,  so  that  little 
towers  of  refuge  are  built  in  this  distrift.  The  num- 
ber of  these  aboriginal  tribes  is  probably  unknown 
to  any  one;  we  always  heard  conflidting  accounts  of 
them,  and  until  recently  no  systematic  attempt  has 
been  made  to  approach  them.  Hosie  describes  how 
difficult  it  was  even  to  catch  a glimpse  of  any  of  them 
when  they  were  close  beside  the  road,  as  they  lurk  in 
the  bushes  to  try  and  see  others,  themselves  unseen. 

When  we  left  Tungchwan  the  following  morning 
we  passed  a temple  at  the  entrance  of  which  the 
tutelary  gods  and  horses,  larger  than  life-size,  stand 
on  either  side  in  heavily  barred  halls,  looking  most 
ferocious.  The  gentry  of  the  place  have  recently 
eredted  a new  temple  to  the  God  of  Riches,  which 
we  only  saw  from  a distance.  This  has  been  done  by 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xix 

means  of  a lottery,  and  perhaps  the  choice  of  a god 
is  due  to  the  great  poverty  of  the  district,  where  the 
people  are  always  on  the  verge  of  starvation,  and  where 
a poor  harvest  means  utter  ruin  to  a large  number. 
The  result  of  this  state  of  things  shows  itself  in  a 
repulsive  way,  for  infanticide  is  extremely  prevalent. 
In  one  hamlet  near  which  we  passed  no  fewer  than 
thirty-three  baby  girls  were  thrown  out  recently  in  a 
single  year  ; though  it  looked  such  a small  place  that  I 
should  not  have  imagined  so  many  babies  had  been 
born  in  it  altogether  in  the  time.  We  were  told  that 
it  was  by  no  means  uncommon  to  see  such  babies  lying 
in  the  fields,  and  we  were  dreadfully  exercised  to  know 
what  we  should  do  if  we  found  one  alive.  Happily, 
our  sense  of  humanity  was  not  put  to  the  test.  We 
travelled  through  a long  valley  all  day  under  a very 
hot  sun,  and  longed  for  thinner  clothing. 

Next  day  we  climbed  the  greater  part  of  the  way 
up  precipitous  hills  in  a cold,  wet  mist,  longing  for 
warmer  winter  clothes.  Soon  our  hair  was  white  like 
the  bushes  with  rime,  and  we  were  truly  thankful  to 
be  saved  from  the  piercing  wind  which  is  usually 
found  on  these  particular  heights.  The  coolies  are 
extremely  superstitious  about  this  wind,  and  would  not 
dare  to  say  anything  in  the  way  of  complaint  for 
fear  the  spirits  should  hear,  even  if  it  blew  a hurri- 
cane. They  are  often  obliged  to  turn  round  and  wait 
till  the  fierce  blasts  are  over  ; so  they  told  us.  The 
ice  was  so  thick  on  our  hair  that  we  had  to  take 
it  down  before  we  could  get  it  free  from  ice,  and 


ch.  xix  T^he  Road  to  Tihi?ta7i  Fu 

our  clothes  were  thoroughly  wetted  with  it.  For  a 
couple  of  days  the  cold  continued  somewhat  severe  ; 
then  we  got  into  the  hot  sunshine  again,  and  even 
with  a wind  to  refresh  us  we  found  travelling  too 
hot.  The  hedges  reminded  one  more  of  home,  and 
there  was  a flowering  tree  not  unlike  hawthorn  ; also 
the  hedges  were  full  of  cotoneaster,  rose-bushes,  and 
clematis. 

The  last  three  days  of  the  journey  to  the  capital 
are  comparatively  uninteresting  across  the  plain,  but 
we  saw  a quaint  wedding  journey  as  we  left  the  hill 
country.  First  came  four  musicians,  making  a noise 
extremely  like  a bad  performance  on  the  pipes.  Next 
rode  the  bridegroom,  heavily  adorned  with  scarlet  and 
pink  rosettes  and  sashes  ; his  pony  also  decorated  with 
scarlet,  followed  by  a couple  of  men  riding.  Then 
came  the  scarlet  wedding  sedan-chair,  sadly  dilapidated 
by  age  and  negledt,  conveying  the  bride.  She  was 
followed  by  a finely  dressed  woman,  riding,  and  one 
or  two  other  people.  Lastly  came  the  bride’s  furni- 
ture— a very  meagre  supply  of  two  chests  and  small 
boxes.  We  reached  her  destination  before  she  did, 
and  found  the  village  awaiting  her.  In  the  street 
was  a table  spread  as  an  altar,  on  which  were  two 
vases  full  of  wild  camellias,  a vase  of  incense,  and  a 
tray  containing  three  bowls  of  rice,  one  bowl  of  pork, 
with  chopsticks  standing  eredt  in  it,  and  two  small 
bowls  of  spirit.  In  front  of  the  table  was  a mat  for 
prostration,  and  at  each  side  of  the  street  a bench  with 
a red  mat  over  it.  When  the  cortege  arrived  we 

213 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xix 

were  among  the  onlookers,  which  seemed  by  no  means 
acceptable  to  the  people.  After  waiting  for  a few 
minutes  and  exchanging  greetings,  the  whole  party 
retired  into  the  house,  the  bride  being  most  carefully 
lifted  out  of  her  chair  in  as  secret  a manner  as  pos- 
sible. We  were  much  disappointed  to  see  nothing 
of  the  ceremony,  but  Mr.  Ku  told  us  that  evidently 
they  had  no  intention  of  doing  anything  whilst 
strangers  were  looking  on,  so  we  had  reludlantly  to 
withdraw.  As  we  heard  that  the  wedding  lasts  three 
days,  and  that  the  guests  are  expedled  to  sit  and  talk 
and  eat  each  day  from  about  lo  a.m.  to  6 p.m.,  we 
comforted  ourselves  with  the  thought  that  it  was 
better  to  see  nothing  than  to  endure  that,  and  went 
away  to  our  two-storied  inn  (the  second  that  we 
have  met),  where  we  inhabited  the  attic  with  the 
fowls.  This  inn  was  so  costly  that  our  coolies  had  to 
go  elsewhere,  as  we  paid  the  exorbitant  price  of  2^d. 
each  for  board,  bed,  and  bedding.  Needless  to  say, 
the  first  and  last  items  were  of  no  use  to  us. 

In  one  village  we  saw  an  interesting  tall  paper 
pagoda  meant  to  be  burnt  at  a funeral.  It  was  painted 
mainly  red.  Throughout  the  empire  it  is  customary 
to  see  extraordinary  paper  horses,  servants,  Gfc.,  as 
part  of  the  requisites  for  a rich  person’s  funeral.  They 
are  burnt  at  the  grave,  and  are  supposed  to  go  to  the 
other  world  with  the  spirit  of  the  deceased,  for  his 
use.  It  is  only  rich  people,  who  possess  horses, 
servants,  £jfc.,  for  whom  they  are  provided.  As  white 
is  the  colour  of  mourning  in  China,  these  models  are 

214 


ch.  xix  T'he  Road  to  IT ilmian  Fu 

made  of  white  paper  on  light  bamboo  frames.  Not 
infrequently  I have  seen  a white  cock  in  a basket 
on  a coffin  that  is  being  taken  to  the  grave,  as  the 
white  cock  is  called  a “ spiritual  ” or  “ divine  ” fowl 
and  is  supposed  to  guide  the  spirit  of  the  dead.  These 
customs  are  already  being  superseded  amongst  the 
educated  Chinese,  and  they  are  following  our  European 
plan  of  having  flowers  at  funerals. 

In  the  ViceroyChangChih-Tung’sinterestingbook, 
“ China’s  Only  Hope,”  he  arrives  at  a curious  conclu- 
sion upon  this  point.  Hesays:  “Although  they  [Euro- 
peans] have  no  such  things  as  ancestral  halls  and  tablets 
of  deceased  relatives,  in  lieu  of  these  they  place  the 
photographs  of  their  dead  parents  and  brothers  [note 
the  absence  of  sisters  !]  on  the  tables  in  their  houses 
and  make  offerings  of  them.  And  while  they  make 
no  sacrifices  at  the  tombs  of  their  ancestors,  they 
repair  their  graves  and  plant  flowers  upon  them  as  an 
adl  of  worship.” 

Ancestral  worship  is  so  much  the  most  important 
part  of  religion  in  China,  that  the  foregoing  account 
of  our  habits  is  meant  to  dispel  an  injurious  prejudice 
against  us. 

There  was  one  compensation  in  leaving  the  moun- 
tains and  crossing  the  hot  and  dusty  plain : the  larks 
were  singing  as  blithely  as  in  England,  the  cranes  were 
thoroughly  busy  over  their  livelihood,  and  squirrels 
were  frisking  in  the  trees.  Villages  are  far  more 
plentiful,  and  there  is  much  more  traffic  on  the  road 
as  the  capital  is  approached.  There  are  large  fields 

215 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xix 

of  beans,  and  they  are  the  sweetest-scented  harvest 
there  is,  to  my  thinking. 

The  day  we  reached  Yunnan  Fu  was  one  long  aggra- 
vation, as  the  head  coolie  had  made  up  his  mind  that 
we  should  not  arrive  that  day,  declaring  that  one 
hundred  li  (about  twenty-six  miles)  was  too  far.  We 
also  had  made  up  our  minds  that  we  should  arrive,  so 
we  started  an  hour  earlier,  or,  more  corredtly  speaking, 
we  got  up  an  hour  earlier.  For  the  first  time  our  men 
kept  us  waiting,  and  when  at  last  they  were  ready  to 
start  they  crept  like  snails.  In  vain  we  urged  them 
on  and  held  out  promises  of  a pork  feast  in  the  even- 
ing. They  stopped  perpetually,  and  out  of  the  first 
seven  hours  of  the  day  they  spent  two  hours  resting. 
Finally,  they  were  told  that  if  they  did  not  go  on 
immediately  and  quickly  they  would  forfeit  the  feast 
entirely,  and  then  they  almost  ran,  saying  that  the  city 
gate  would  be  shut.  We  thought  that  this  was  their 
usual  excuse,  but  as  we  neared  the  walls  in  the  fast- 
closing twilight  a gun  sounded  which  filledus  with  mis- 
givings. My  friend’s  chair  had  gone  in  front,  contrary 
to  our  usual  custom,  as  she  was  much  the  lighter  load, 
and  her  coolies  were  apt  to  run  away  with  her ! When 
she  reached  the  gateway  she  was  in  time  to  see  the 
big  gates  slowly  swing  to,  and  to  hear  the  bolt  shut, 
after  which  the  keys  are  at  once  carried  to  the  magis- 
trate’s office.  By  the  time  we  had  all  arrived  we  found 
that  it  would  be  possible  to  have  the  gates  reopened 
by  sending  in  a visiting-card  to  the  magistrate  along 
with  our  military  escort.  The  power  of  a visiting- 

216 


ch.  xix  The  Road  to  Yunnan  Fu 

card  is  very  great  in  China,  and  we  had  the  satis- 
fadlion  of  winning  the  day  after  a great  twelve  hours’ 
tussle  with  our  men.  It  would  be  hard  to  say  whether 
an  Englishman  or  a Chinaman  is  the  keener  to  get 
his  own  way ! 


217 


CHAPTER  XX 

Yiinnan  Fu 

The  approach  to  Yunnan  Fu  is  really  lovely, 
and  pagodas  and  tall  temples  surmounting 
the  walls  give  it  an  imposing  air.  It  is  much 
the  most  important  city  in  the  province,  and  is  follow- 
ing hard  in  the  wake  of  Chengtu  in  the  matter  of 
progress.  As  regards  improvements,  new  schools, 
barracks,  a mint,  and  a railway  station  have  sprung  up 
within  the  last  few  years,  not  to  mention  street  lamps 
and  foreign-looking  police,  a French  hospital  and  a 
French  post-office.  The  French  have  been  gradually 
pushing  their  way  here,  but  not  altogether  success- 
fully. The  railway  station  exists,  but  no  railway. 
According  to  the  contradt  it  ought  to  have  been 
already  completed,  but  owing  to  the  extreme  un- 
healthiness of  the  districts  through  which  it  passes 
a great  many  of  the  engineers  have  either  died  or  been 
incapacitated  for  work,  so  that  the  railway  is  not 
likely  to  be  completed  for  several  years  to  come.  In 
fadt,  they  can  only  work  on  it  at  certain  times  of  the 
year,  in  consequence  of  malaria.  The  French  post- 
office  also  exists,  but  has  been  shut  by  order  of 
the  authorities,  and  the  relations  between  French 
and  Chinese  authorities  are  decidedly  strained.  The 

218 


ch.  XX  YUnnan  Ftc 

presence  of  the  French  in  the  city  has  sent  up  the 
price  of  everything.  In  fa6t,  many  ordinary  com- 
modities are  double  the  price  they  were  a few  years 
ago. 

We  were  much  disappointed  to  find  nearly  all  the 
shops  closed,  owing  to  its  being  the  Chinese  New  Year, 
but  we  managed  to  find  a few  small  things  of  interest 
to  buy.  What  particularly  charmed  us  was  a set  of 
painted  scrolls.  There  was  a whole  series  of  different 
designs  of  birds,  some  of  them  beautifully  coloured, 
which  we  bought  for  the  modest  sum  of  los.  for  the 
set  of  eight.  Throughout  China  scrolls  are  hung  on 
the  walls  for  decorative  purposes  as  we  use  pidlures, 
and  sometimes  you  find  quite  charming  designs  either 
hung  up  or  painted  on  the  walls  of  unpretentious 
inns.  When  we  were  in  the  main  street  standing 
chatting  together  at  a short  distance  from  our  host, 
who  was  making  a bargain  for  us,  a woman  came 
along  and  eyed  us  up  and  down  attentively.  She 
then  began  to  speak  to  us,  and  although  we  did  not 
understand  anything  she  said,  the  subjedt  was  very 
obvious,  as  she  pointed  at  her  own  waist  (or  rather 
the  place  where  it  should  be  visible)  and  then  at  ours, 
after  which  she  made  a small  circle  with  her  fingers 
and  said,  pointing  at  us,  “ Very  pretty.”  Who  would 
have  dreamt  that  such  a thing  could  have  happened 
in  China,  where  a visible  waist  is  considered  so  ex- 
tremely improper  ! 

We  found  the  most  amusing  time  to  be  in  the 
streets,  however,  was  in  the  evening,  when  there  were 

219 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

nightly  exhibitions  of  Chinese  lanterns,  as  ingenious 
as  they  are  effective.  A tiny  lady’s  shoe  made  of 
coloured  paper,  with  half  an  egg-shell  for  the  heel  and 
a few  drops  of  oil  to  hold  the  floating  wick  in  it, 
makes  a charming  little  lantern.  Large  fishes  with 
movable  heads  and  tails  look  extremely  pretty,  and 
grotesque  lions  are  made  to  promenade  above  the  heads 
of  passengers  with  life-like  palpitations.  Their  eyes 
are  also  made  of  egg-shells,  which  were  effedtively 
used  in  many  other  lanterns  also.  Some  of  the  more 
elaborate  lanterns  were  hung  outside  the  shops  ; others 
were  for  sale.  For  a few  “ cash  ” you  can  get  little 
toy  theatres,  within  which  the  warmth  of  the  candle 
sets  in  motion  revolving  figures  whose  shadows  are 
thrown  on  the  front  of  the  stage.  There  was  an 
infinite  variety  of  lanterns  exhibited,  and  we  much 
regretted  that  they  were  too  flimsy  to  carry  home  ; for 
they  are  all  made  on  the  lightest  bamboo  frames  with 
thin  coloured  paper.  Later  on  we  saw  the  most 
interesting  of  all  the  lanterns,  a large  dragon  which  is 
many  yards  in  length  and  of  which  the  sections  are 
carried  by  men  ; but  as  there  had  been  considerable 
disturbances  lately  when  this  had  been  carried  about 
the  city,  the  authorities  refused  to  allow  it  for  the 
time  being.  It  is  at  the  time  when  people  are 
holiday-making  that  they  seem  difficult  to  manage, 
but  their  vices  are  not  such  as  to  make  them  trouble- 
some to  travellers.  Opium-smoking  and  gambling 
are  certainly  the  worst  of  these  vices,  and  they  are  the 
curse  of  this  place. 


220 


TEMPLE  OE  THE  CiOU  OK  UTERATUKE 


ch.  XX  IT iln7tan  Fu 

Yiinnan  is  surrounded  by  pretty  places  for  excur- 
sions, so  we  set  off  one  fine  morning  in  our  chairs  to 
visit  a metal  temple  about  five  miles  distant,  called 
“ Gin  Tien  ” — namely,  “ Golden  Temple.”  As  we 
passed  through  the  sweet-scented  bean-fields  we  saw 
many  children  enjoying  swings,  a sight  we  had  not 
met  before  in  any  other  part  of  the  country.  Soon 
we  reached  the  foot  of  the  hills  and  ascended  through 
woods  filled  with  a delicious  aromatic  scent  ; but  the 
trees  were  quite  unfamiliar  to  us,  and  whether  it  was 
from  them  or  the  brushwood  that  the  scent  came  we 
could  not  determine.  The  temple  was  beautifully 
situated  on  the  hillside,  and  the  courts  rose  one  above 
the  other,  with  long  flights  of  steps  leading  from  one 
to  another.  At  the  top  of  the  first  flight  was  an  arch- 
way surmounted  by  a temple  containing  a small 
wooden  “god  of  literature.”  The  design  on  the  cover 
of  “ The  Face  of  China”  is  the  god  of  literature  : in 
one  hand  he  holds  the  brush  and  in  the  other  a tablet, 
and  he  stands  on  one  foot  on  a fish.  Doolittle  explains 
it  thus  : “ There  are  two  stars  which  the  Chinese 
profess  to  have  discovered  to  have  the  supervision  of 
the  affairs  of  this  world  relating  to  ‘ literature  and 
the  pencil.’  One  of  these,  Kue  Sing,  is  said  to  be 
the  fifteenth  star  of  the  twenty-eighth  constellation, 
answering  to  parts  of  Andromeda  and  Pisces.” 

A miscellaneous  colledtion  of  gods  lined  the  sides 
of  the  court  in  open  corridors,  but  they  were  much 
negledted  and  in  a ruinous-looking  condition.  At  the 
top  of  the  steps  was  a terrace  on  which  was  a fine 

221 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

camellia  tree  in  full  bloom,  and  other  shrubs,  while 
chattering  groups  of  white-and-black  starlings  lent 
animation  to  the  scene.  Another  flight  of  steps  led 
to  a court  in  which  was  the  fine  copper  temple, 
painted  black  and  gold,  standing  on  a platform  made 
of  the  celebrated  Tali  marble.  A metal  flag  and  bells 
that  tinkled  in  the  wind  hung  from  an  adjoining  flag- 
staff, and  another  camellia  tree  was  a sheet  of  pink 
blossom  standing  in  glorious  contrast  behind  the 
temple  close  to  a gateway.  This  gateway  led  into 
another  courtyard,  where  there  were  rooms  which 
could  be  hired  by  any  one  who  wishes  to  spend  a few 
days  there.  Europeans  often  make  use  of  these  hill 
temples  in  the  hot  weather,  even  inhabiting  some- 
times the  same  rooms  as  the  gods,  of  whom  a new  use 
is  made  as  pegs  on  which  to  hang  clothes  in  lieu  of 
wardrobes — a proceeding  which  in  nowise  shocks  the 
Chinese  worshippers. 

We  were  by  no  means  the  only  visitors  to  the 
temples.  There  was  quite  an  array  of  chairs  waiting 
in  the  courtyards.  Some  of  the  people  were  gambling, 
others  having  their  midday  meal,  others  lying  on 
couches  smoking  opium  or  admiring  the  view  ; but  of 
worship  there  was  no  sign  whatever.  While  I sketched 
some  women  came  to  look  on,  and  had  a little  conversa- 
tion (stridtly  limited,  owing  to  my  ignorance).  They 
carried  beautiful  orchids  which  they  said  they  had 
gathered  in  the  mountains.  In  fadt.  Gin  Tien  is  to 
Yunnan  Fu  what  Richmond  is  to  London. 

Another  interesting  excursion  which  we  made  was 


ch.  XX  Y iinnan  Fu 

to  the  Rock  Temples  above  the  lake  of  Y iinnan.  There 
is  a canal,  about  two  miles  long,  leading  diredUy  from 
the  city  to  the  lake,  and  our  host  sent  to  hire  a boat 
the  day  previous  to  our  excursion.  The  arrangement 
made  was  that  we  were  to  have  a crew  of  four  men, 
in  order  to  convey  us  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  our 
destination ; but  when  we  got  on  board  we  found  that 
our  four  men  were  represented  by  a woman  and  her 
three  boys,  aged  approximately  sixteen,  ten,  and  three. 
We  remonstrated,  but  it  was  so  comic  that  we  could 
do  nothing  but  laugh ; and  finally  she  hired  a man  to 
come  and  row,  paying  him  about  twopence  a day, 
whereas  we  paid  her  five  shillings.  Arrived  at  the 
farther  side,  we  had  a steep  climb  through  pine  woods 
to  the  temples,  which  are  impartially  Buddhist  and 
Taoist.  They  must  have  been  hewn  out  of  the  cliffs 
with  an  immense  amount  of  labour  and  cost,  for  the 
approach  to  the  upper  ones  was  through  winding 
galleries  cut  in  the  solid  rock.  The  gods  themselves 
are  in  shrines  cut  in  the  rock,  and  at  the  top  of  all  is 
a little  temple  dedicated  to  the  “ god  of  literature,” 
which  was  also  carved  out  of  stone  ; and  there  were 
other  gods  carved  above  the  entrance.  From  the  little 
platform  in  front  of  it  there  is  a marvellous  view  of 
the  lake  and  plain  stretched  far  below,  where  fishing- 
boats  looked  like  insedts,  and  over  which  floated  the 
shadows  of  the  clouds. 

On  our  way  down  our  servant  had  prepared  tea  at 
a Buddhist  temple,  where  we  sat  on  stools  (on  a plat- 
form) at  a low  table.  At  an  adjoining  table  there 

223 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

was  a large  family  party  of  men  and  boys  also  having 
a meal,  the  ladies  and  girls  of  the  family  taking  theirs 
in  an  inner  room.  We  could  not  help  admiring  the 
charming  sets  of  baskets  in  which  they  had  brought 
their  provisions,  and  we  found  them  very  friendly  and 
talkative.  They  had  many  questions  to  ask  of  us,  and 
informed  us  that  they  were  jewellers  in  the  city,  finally 
suggesting  that  we  should  all  go  home  together  ! 
We  felt  that  this  would  be  far  too  slow  a process  when 
we  saw  the  ladies  with  their  tiny  feet  laboriously 
toiling  downwards,  with  the  help  of  walking-sticks  to 
steady  them.  So  we  made  our  excuses  and  hastened 
back,  as  the  sun  was  already  getting  low. 

We  dedicated  our  last  day  at  Yunnan  to  shopping, 
for  the  shops  were  beginning  to  reopen  after  their 
long  inadlion  for  the  ’New  Year.  This  place  was  in 
former  times  a happy  hunting-ground  for  bronzes, 
but  there  are  not  many  to  be  had  now,  and  none  of 
any  value,  while  all  the  prices  have  gone  up,  many  of 
them  a hundred  per  cent.  Copper  work  is  the  special 
industry  of  Yunnan,  though  all  the  copper  is  sup- 
posed to  go  diredl  to  Peking.  There  are  two  families 
who  for  many  generations  have  had  the  monopoly  of 
making  beautiful  little  copper  boxes  inlaid  with  silver. 
The  work  is  very  fine,  and  some  of  the  designs  are 
particularly  attractive.  Skin  boxes  are  a speciality  of 
this  place,  and  we  found  it  necessary  to  get  some  in 
which  to  carry  our  purchases ; we  also  added  a coolie 
to  our  party,  as  the  loads  carried  here  are  not  allowed 
to  exceed  eighty  pounds  per  man.  If  we  could  fly. 


ch.  XX  YUnna?i  Fu 

how  quickly  should  we  reach  Bhamo  ! — only  360  miles 
through  the  air,  instead  of  967  miles  by  the  road, 
with  a total  ascent  of  26,000  feet.  This  is  a com- 
putation in  Hosie’s  book,  “Three  Years  in  Western 
China,”  but  I think  the  distances  are  decidedly  over- 
estimated. When  we  left  Yunnan  Fu  our  party 
numbered  twenty-four,  and  our  chairs  looked  much 
more  dignified  than  on  arrival.  The  poles  were  all 
carefully  bandaged  with  bright-blue  cotton  like  a 
mandarin’s  chair,  because  of  the  winds,  as  our  head 
coolie  informed  us  that  otherwise  the  poles  were  apt 
to  crack.  We  were  told  to  expedl  high  winds  all  the 
rest  of  our  journey  through  this  province,  for  they 
are  prevalent  at  this  time  of  year.  The  prospect 
sounded  discouraging,  for  the  sun  was  hot,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  wear  large  hoods,  as  the  sun  and  the 
windtogetherhad  nearly  skinned  our  faces.  However, 
like  all  our  previous  information  about  the  journey, 
the  difficulties  proved  much  less  serious  than  we 
expedled.  In  fadt,  so  far  we  had  had  nothing  to 
complain  of  beyond  the  inevitable  disagreeables  one 
encounters  on  travelling  away  from  the  beaten  track. 
As  we  left  the  city  we  noticed  a curious  mingling  of 
the  past  and  present  at  the  city  gate  : on  the  one 
side  a dismantled  cannon  made  by,  or  under  the 
diredlion  of,  the  French  Jesuit  Fathers,  and  stamped 
with  the  Christian  symbol ; on  the  other  side  of  the 
gate,  a notice-board  warning  passengers  to  keep  to 
the  right  side  of  the  road. 

Leaving  the  city,  we  soon  reached  the  mountains, 

225  V 


T'he  Face  of  Chma  ch.  xx 

and  day  by  day  skirted  the  upper  part  of  them  ; some- 
times plunging  down  deep  into  the  valleys,  especially 
for  our  resting-places  at  night.  The  people  seem  a 
sturdy,  solid  race,  but  through  the  greater  part  of 
the  province  which  we  have  traversed,  and  especially 
round  the  capital,  they  are  greatly  disfigured  by  goitre. 
Every  day  we  see  scores  of  people  (even  quite  young 
children)  suffering  from  this  disease.  The  women 
do  a large  share  of  all  the  hard  work,  carrying  heavy 
loads,  despite  their  small  feet  ; the  loads  are  fastened 
on  by  broad  bands  passed  round  the  forehead,  like  those 
of  Newhaven  fishwives.  These  bands  are  frequently 
run  through  holes  in  a big  wooden  collar  worn  both 
by  men  and  women.  Some  of  these  collars  have 
pretty  little  bits  of  carving  on  them. 

On  the  roads  we  met  innumerable  droves  of  pack- 
animals,  mostly  laden  with  blocks  of  salt.  The  pack- 
men have  special  inns  where  they  put  up,  which  are 
nothing  more  than  stables,  and  scores  of  animals  can 
be  accommodated  in  them.  Despite  the  badness  of 
the  roads  and  the  rough  way  in  which  they  are  hustled 
along,  we  have  not  seen  a single  beast  with  broken 
knees.  They  are  allowed  to  rest  free  from  loads  or 
saddles  at  midday,  and  to  roll  in  the  dust  at  pleasure. 
The  loads  are  fastened  on  to  a framework  which  fits 
into  the  saddle  and  so  avoids  the  necessity  of  being 
adjusted  on  the  animal  itself.  There  are  regular 
camping  grounds  for  the  pack-animals  all  along  the 
road,  and  they  seem  the  best  tempered  beasts  imagin- 
able. The  leaders  usually  wear  bright  red  rosettes 

226 


■ V 


'v_2T  ~ ■ ‘ 

^ ... 


t^i?::.',  'V'  . . " ' ote  T - 

"JS“"  '.  -5  •'  ■■  - -•X'<*-5>k^  ■ ‘•■'v^^ 


.^9  ( ^' 

2 ^,- 


‘-3i 


/'  ‘ .^-i:  ■ “ : ■ 1 


* ^ 

'y  . •'  :<*-. 
*•  ■ 

u 

-' ' .*  ■•.■•>•"> 
-:•■  : - :.  /.: 

j. . 


ch.  XX  Yiinna7i  Fu 

on  their  heads,  often  with  mirrors  in  them,  and  also 
the  Government  loads  have  brilliant  flags  attached, 
which  give  them  a picturesque  look.  Some  of  them 
wear  the  long  tails  of  the  Amherst  pheasant  fastened 
between  their  ears,  and  look  as  proud  of  themselves 
as  a fashionable  London  lady  with  the  huge  plumes 
now  in  fashion.  Some  of  them  wear  bells,  which 
are  necessary  so  as  to  herald  their  approach  on  these 
narrow,  winding,  and  precipitous  highways. 

Every  day  we  were  more  enchanted  with  the  beauty 
of  the  country  and  the  delights  of  spring.  The  banks 
are  carpeted  with  primulas,  and  the  hill  slopes  bright 
with  rose-coloured  camellias,  scarlet  azalea,  white  and 
crimson  rhododendrons,  yellow  jessamine,  clematis, 
begonias,  and  numberless  flowering  shrubs,  many  of 
which  we  have  never  seen  before.  This  is  the  part 
of  the  world  from  which  the  majority  of  our  flowering 
shrubs  have  originally  come.  It  would  be  a paradise 
for  botanists,  and  makes  one  long  for  more  knowledge 
of  many  subjects,  so  as  to  be  able  to  enjoy  the  journey 
still  more  and  profit  by  it  more  thoroughly. 

The  second  day  after  leaving  Yunnan  Fu,  there 
was  an  earthquake,  and  it  is  a mystery  why  the  front 
of  our  room  did  not  entirely  collapse.  The  inns  here 
are  really  superior,  but  on  this  occasion  the  outer  wall 
of  our  room  happened  to  be  constructed  in  seClions 
at  all  sorts  of  angles,  none  of  them  what  they  were 
meant  to  be,  and  with  extensive  gaps  between.  It 
was  quite  impossible  to  shut  the  doors,  and  there  was 
no  pretence  of  a fastening,  so  we  had  put  up  a curtain 

227 


'The  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

in  order  to  obtain  a small  measure  of  privacy.  Happily, 
the  people  did  not  seem  so  inquisitive  as  they  used  to 
be  when  I was  travelling  in  China  fifteen  years  ago. 
In  fadt,  we  rarely  see  eyes  peering  through  holes  in 
the  paper  windows.  Glass  windows  are  still  unknown 
in  the  inns,  except  in  an  occasional  one  in  Shantung. 

At  Lu  Feng  Hsien  we  had  an  amusing  experience. 
As  we  were  resting  after  our  evening  meal  there  was 
suddenly  a great  noise  of  drums,  and  we  were  told 
that  the  dragon  lantern  was  in  the  street.  It  turned 
out  to  be  a sort  of  entertainment  given  by  a cash 
shop  next  door,  and  not  only  was  there  a very  be- 
draggled-looking dragon  about  twenty  feet  long,  but 
also  fish  lanterns  and  sundry  fireworks.  The  men 
carrying  the  sedtions  of  the  dragon  leapt  about  like 
demons  as  the  shower  of  “ golden  rain  ” (fireworks) 
was  turned  full  upon  them,  and  the  dragon  writhed 
with  unwonted  energy.  The  drums  never  ceased 
for  a moment,  so  that  it  was  rather  a relief  when  the 
show  came  to  an  end  by  the  exhaustion  of  the  internal 
illumination  of  the  dragon.  We  were  stopping  at 
an  inn  just  outside  the  city  wall,  and  when  we  left 
the  next  morning  we  crossed  a fine  suspension-bridge 
with  an  imposing  archway  at  each  end  of  it.  The 
chief  magistrate  of  the  distridt  happened  to  be  travel- 
ling on  the  same  road  with  us,  and  sent  word  ahead 
that  we  were  to  be  accommodated  in  a charming 
inn  that  day,  having  invited  us  to  stop  at  his  Yamen 
in  the  city  the  previous  night.  When  magistrates 
are  travelling  they  always  send  to  engage  an  inn 

228 


TOMll  or  A riUl.OSOI'HKU  AMONO  K ICK-I- 1 KI.I  )S 


ch.  XX  Yunna7i  Fu 

beforehand,  and  a little  official  flag  is  then  hung  out- 
side to  show  that  the  inn  is  full.  Mr.  Ku  suggested 
that  we  should  go  in  for  an  official  flag,  but  we  feared 
lest  complications  should  arise. 

The  fresh  New  Year  mottoes  put  up  on  the  door- 
posts of  our  room  stated  encouragingly  that  “ all 
cultured  people  inhabit  this  room,”  and  “ the  court- 
yard is  full  of  chairs  and  carts,”  but,  true  to  Chinese 
incongruity,  our  coolies  filled  one  of  the  rooms  and 
the  pigs  occupied  the  background  ! 

Day  after  day  new  flowers  and  birds  appear  on 
our  pathway — white  camellias,  daphne,  dog-roses,  a 
flight  of  brilliant  green  parrots,  long-tailed  tits,  sea- 
gulls ; though  what  they  are  doing  out  here  we 
cannot  imagine.  At  one  village  where  we  spent  a 
night  the  magistrate  sent  word  that  the  people  were 
in  a somewhat  disturbed  condition,  so  he  would  send 
a special  watch  to  guard  us.  We  strolled  out  into 
the  fields  to  try  and  get  a sketch  of  the  large  flocks 
of  cranes  feeding  in  the  rice  and  bean  fields,  but  they 
seemed  disturbed  and  would  not  let  us  get  anywhere 
near  them,  flying  away  screeching  loudly.  As  we  got 
back  to  the  village  everything  looked  as  peaceful  as 
possible,  and  the  guard  had  duly  arrived.  They 
seemed  to  think  it  part  of  their  duty  to  share  our 
room,  one  settling  down  to  a comfortable  smoke,  the 
other  helping  to  shell  the  beans  for  our  evening  meal. 
When  we  thought  they  had  sufficiently  studied  us  and 
our  surroundings  we  invited  them  to  go  outside,  and 
they  soon  had  a cheerful  fire  blazing  in  the  court- 

229 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

yard,  where  they  remained  all  night.  We  got  infinite 
amusement  out  of  the  naive  ways  of  our  coolies  and 
the  soldiers.  A heavy  storm  of  rain,  for  instance, 
came  on  while  we  were  halting  at  a village,  and 
immediately  one  of  my  carriers  came  and  sat  upon 
the  ground  beside  my  chair  in  order  to  share  the 
benefit  of  my  umbrella.  He  had  not  the  slightest 
idea,  of  course,  that  I might  not  wish  for  his  close 
neighbourhood,  for  fear  of  participating  in  more  than 
the  shelter  of  an  umbrella. 

One  thing  seems  strange  as  one  travels  day  by  day 
from  one  end  of  this  great  empire  to  the  other,  and 
that  is  the  utter  absence  of  any  landed  gentry  ; never 
a country  seat  or  any  house  larger  than  a farmer’s, 
and  never  a garden  of  any  kind  for  the  cultivation  of 
flowers  except  within  the  cities  ; cottage  gardens  are 
unknown  here.  Pots  in  a courtyard  show  a certain 
love  of  flowers,  and  the  poorest  coolie  will  stop  to 
gather  a handful  of  camellias  to  decorate  his  load,  or 
a flower  to  stick  behind  his  ear.  Rich  people  all 
love  to  live  in  big  towns,  where  they  are  close  to 
their  associates. 

One  day  the  head  coolie  came  in  with  our  suit- 
cases in  a state  of  great  agitation,  dragging  with  him 
a frightened-looking  creature  whose  horse  he  said 
had  pushed  the  luggage  into  the  stream.  To  our 
dismay,  the  luggage  was  dripping  with  water,  and  the 
culprit  had  been  hauled  along  to  see  the  extent  of  the 
damage.  Our  usual  good  luck,  however,  had  followed 
us  ; though  a new  silk  dressing-gown  was  soaked  with 

330 


ch.  XX  Tilnnan  Fu 

mud  and  water,  my  sketches  (next  to  it)  had  only 
mud  traces  on  their  backs,  and  nothing  else  was  hurt. 
The  man  said  he  was  very  sorry,  and  evidently  expected 
we  should  charge  damages.  He  protested  that  he 
was  only  a poor  farmer  and  had  no  means  of  payment. 
No  doubt  the  head  coolie,  who  is  responsible  for  any 
loss  and  is  bound  to  make  good  any  breakage  caused 
by  the  carelessness  of  the  carriers,  would  have  extorted 
damages  from  him,  but  as  we  did  not,  he  told  him  to 
kotow;  our  servants  sternly  repeated  the  command, 
and  an  interested  crowd  of  spedlators  watching  the 
show  added  their  injunctions,  so  that  when  the  man 
grovelled  in  the  dust  and  knocked  his  forehead  on 
the  ground,  we  were  sorely  tempted  to  laugh.  The 
tragi-comic  effeCt  was  irresistibly  funny.  It  was 
necessary,  however,  to  impress  our  men  with  the 
heinousness  of  the  offence,  lest  our  curios  should  come 
into  greater  danger.  A diversion  was  caused  by  the 
entrance  of  several  coolies  begging  me  to  look  at  their 
sprains,  gatherings,  ©"c.,  so  we  dismissed  the  poor 
farmer  and  set  to  work  with  our  out-patient  depart- 
ment. At  this  stage  of  the  journey  the  coolies  were 
very  apt  to  give  out  a little,  as  the  strain  began  to  tell 
upon  them.  The  weather  grew  warmer  daily,  and 
the  crops  seemed  almost  to  grow  visibly  before  our 
eyes.  Fields  of  mustard  in  the  plains  were  dazzlingly 
yellow  and  sweet-scented,  and  the  poppies  and  wild 
roses  were  coming  into  bloom.  We  were  struck 
with  the  beauty  of  various  kinds  of  wild  vines  and 
the  enormous  leaves  of  Senecio  wilsonianus.  There 

231 


T'he  Face  of  China  ch.  xx 

are  a great  many  varieties  of  these  vines  and  of  the 
roses,  and  on  the  eastern  side  of  Yunnan  we  found 
particularly  sweet-scented  white  banksia  roses.  Mr. 
Wilson,  who  spent  a considerable  time  in  studying  the 
flora  of  China,  discovered  no  fewer  than  2000  new 
varieties  of  plants,  and  Messrs.  Veitch  of  Chelsea  have 
a most  interesting  colledtion  of  the  plants  which  he 
brought  back.  The  fadt  that  he  was  able  to  bring 
back  over  5000  specimens  seems  almost  incredible  to 
any  one  who  knows  the  difficulties  of  transport.  But 
perhaps  the  most  striking  of  all  the  flowers  that  we 
met  growing  profusely  in  this  region  was  the  ‘Jasminum 
primulinum^  a large,  brilliant  jasmine  of  which  there 
were  the  most  magnificent  hedges.  If  only  we  could 
have  stayed  a little  longer  we  should  have  been  able  to 
see  far  more  of  the  shrubs  in  blossom,  as  everywhere 
we  noticed  they  were  full  of  promise. 

The  architecture  is  more  ornate  in  this  distridl  than 
in  the  centre  of  China,  many  of  the  houses  in  the 
villages  being  elaborately  decorated,  and  having  beau- 
tiful wooden  carved  screens  and  balustrades  in  front  of 
them.  Some  of  the  shops  had  most  knowing  little 
beasts  carved  at  the  end  of  the  counter,  and  the  sign- 
boards, which  were  formed  into  Chinese  lanterns,  were 
extremely  picturesque.  At  the  entrance  of  one  of 
the  villages  there  was  the  most  grotesque  design  on 
the  large  screen  which  is  frequently  to  be  seen  facing 
the  entrance  gate  of  villages.  This  particular  one 
had  a gigantic  creature  (a  cross  between  a cat  and  a 
toad)  hanging  on  to  a fleeing  mouse,  whose  hind  leg 

232 


Vll.l  AtJK  SC  KKl'.N  WAI.I. 


CARRYING  CHAIR 


'>jf *^y  <(kh  .»■■ , — . • ...  ^■^-i5.._.  _‘i5^-^  •*■' ' 


.'L  ■ V,  'ii 

.vV? 


■3 


j"'  ■“  E 


■i ' - 


■■  ■^;. . . - -V.’' 


k ', 


* H 


r t ^ I 


I 


ch.  XX  Yilnnan  Fii 

had  been  stretched  out  to  an  abnormal  length  in  its 
endeavour  to  escape.  Every  village  of  any  size  has 
such  a screen  (called  in  Chinese,  “ shelter  ”),  standing 
about  fifteen  feet  high  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length. 
Some  of  the  designs  on  them  are  really  artistic,  but  as 
a rule  their  best  quality  is  the  spirited  adlion  of  the 
various  beasts  which  are  represented,  of  which  the  one 
I have  sketched  (from  memory)  is  a good  example. 
The  chair  below  it  shows  what  we  travelled  in  for 
some  1 200  miles  ; the  most  comfortable  way  of  see- 
ing the  country  that  can  be  imagined.  Under  the 
seat  we  carried  all  our  small  impedimenta,  while  the 
coolies  made  use  of  the  back  for  theirs. 


233 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Tali  Fu 

The  first  glimpse  of  the  Tali  lake  with  snow- 
capped mountains  running  along  its  western 
bank  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  a typical  Chinese 
landscape,  namely,  a “ mountain  and  water  picture  ” ; 
but  at  this  time  of  year  (the  beginning  of  March) 
the  winds  are  so  high  that  the  distant  range  of  snow 
mountains  to  the  north  is  invisible,  and  during  the 
five  days  that  we  spent  in  the  neighbourhood  we  did 
not  once  catch  a glimpse  of  them.  At  the  south  of 
the  lake  is  a large  and  important  village,  Siakwan, 
much  more  important  in  some  respedts  than  the 
prefedtural  town  of  Tali  Fu  itself,  as  it  lies  on  the 
high-road  from  Yunnan  Fu  to  Teng  Yueh.  All  the 
trade  caravans  pass  diredtly  through  Siakwan  without 
branching  off  to  Tali.  At  the  markets,  which  are 
frequently  held,  there  may  be  seen  various  aboriginal 
tribes  such  as  the  Miaos,  the  Lolos,  the  Ming  Chiaos, 
and  the  Shans.  The  place  is  noted  for  being  one  of 
the  windiest  spots  to  be  found  anywhere,  and  we  found 
it  unpleasant  both  coming  and  going  to  Tali.  At 
Tali  the  wind  was  most  riotous  at  nights,  and  came  in 
great  gusts,  dismantling  the  walls  of  our  rooms  and 

234 


lAl.l  I'U 


ch.  xxi  Tali  Fu 

covering  my  bed  with  a little  shower  of  photographs 
and  texts,  and  nearly  blowing  us  out  of  bed.  The 
lake  is  always  dangerous  on  account  of  these  winds, 
and  when  we  visited  the  shore,  about  an  hour’s  walk 
from  the  city,  there  were  only  a few  little  fishing- 
boats  to  be  seen  close  inland.  The  villages  along  it 
are  mainly  inhabited  by  Ming  Chiaos,  who  speak  a 
language  of  their  own.  It  is  but  few  comparatively 
of  these  villagers  who  can  speak  or  even  understand 
Chinese,  and  those  who  learn  it  do  so  for  the  sake  of 
trading  in  the  city.  The  women  and  girls  wear  their 
hair  dressed  rather  differently  from  the  Chinese,  and 
have  a different  type  of  face.  Also,  they  do  not  bind 
their  feet,  nor  wear  such  elegant  shoes.  They  seemed 
quite  friendly,  but  were  rather  too  inquisitive,  which 
prevented  our  enjoying  our  picnic  as  much  as  we 
should  have  done. 

I made  a sketch  of  a little  bridge  with  a picturesque 
archway  in  the  shape  of  a tower  leading  on  to  it, 
behind  which  may  be  seen  the  mountains  towering 
up  to  a great  height.  These  mountains  are  very  little 
known,  and  a European  who  went  up  to  visit  a temple 
some  hours  distant  got  lost,  and  was  three  days  before 
he  was  able  to  find  his  way  back  ; when  he  returned 
he  was  quite  exhausted  for  lack  of  food,  and  his  clothes 
were  almost  torn  to  pieces  by  the  bushes  through 
which  he  had  been  obliged  to  force  his  way.  There 
are  very  few  inhabitants  amongst  these  mountains, 
and  they  are  of  a fierce  and  uncertain  character. 

The  Tali  Fu  women  were  the  most  pleasant  and 

235 


The  Face  of  Chma  ch.  xxi 

responsive  we  met  in  the  province,  and  some  looked 
decidedly  intelligent.  They  did  beautiful  embroidery 
of  various  kinds,  and  we  were  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  order  straw  hats  from  them  with  which  to 
protedt  ourselves  from  the  sun.  We  were  not  glad, 
however,  to  see  them  being  brought  home  on  the 
heads  of  the  woman  and  child  ; though  this  seems  to 
be  considered  quite  the  corredt  thing  in  China.  There 
was  no  alternative  between  having  these  particular 
hats  or  going  without  any,  which  was  too  risky.  We 
are  quite  convinced  that  the  wearing  of  a “ bandeau  ” 
inside  the  hat  must  have  originated  in  China,  where 
the  use  of  it  is  universal  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest.  The  poorest  coolie  has  a basket  bandeau  in 
the  huge,  pancake-like  straw  hat  which  shelters  him 
equally  from  sun  or  rain.  The  size  of  these  hats  is 
two  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  bandeaux  raise  them  so 
high  above  the  head  that  the  effedl  is  extremely  comic, 
and  they  have  to  be  held  on  by  an  elaborate  system 
of  strings  at  the  sides  and  back,  sometimes  ornamented 
by  the  gayest  of  tassels,  and  with  bright-green  strings 
tied  under  the  chin.  The  favourite  colour  of  a bandeau 
is  magenta,  and  the  material  of  which  it  is  made  is 
satin.  The  portrait  of  myself  at  the  beginning  of  this 
volume  shows  our  complete  travelling  costume,  to- 
gether with  the  Buddhist  pilgrim  stick  and  the  horn 
spectacles  which  were  formerly  a distindtive  mark  of 
the  “ scholar.”  On  returning  home  we  found  the 
hats  were  hardly  an  exaggeration  of  the  size  worn  in 
London.  Liu  had  procured  himself  a different  variety 

236 


ch.  xxi  Tali  Fu 

of  straw  hat  (see  page  21 1)  and  a bright-green  water- 
proof cover  for  it. 

Few  foreign  ladies  visit  Tali  Fu,  so  our  arrival 
created  a mild  excitement  in  the  place.  An  official 
lady  (the  highest  but  one  in  the  city)  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  paying  a call  on  the  missionary  nurse  who 
was  our  hostess.  She  had  assisted  at  the  operation  per- 
formed by  the  dodlor  on  the  lady’s  daughter,  who  was 
suffering  from  a disfigurement  of  the  face  The  lady 
called  at  the  momentlunch  hadbeen  served,  so  of  course 
it  had  to  be  indefinitely  postponed  (the  Chinese  calls 
not  unfrequently  last  for  several  hours).  She  was  gor- 
geously attired  in  a heliotrope  skirt  embroidered  with 
magenta  and  green,  which  had  come  from  Chengtu, 
and  a fur-lined  plum-coloured  coat.  She  wore  gold 
pins  galore  in  her  hair,  and  a large  amber  bead  ; gold 
tooth-picks  and  ear-picks  hung  from  a button,  and  she 
used  these  with  French  aplomb.  Our  clothes  were 
examined  with  much  minuteness  ; she  even  pinched 
my  toe  to  see  if  it  could  really  extend  to  the  full 
length  of  my  shoe,  so  I took  it  off  to  satisfy  her  on 
the  subjedl.  Perhaps  it  was  this  that  encouraged  her 
to  begin  to  undress  my  friend  down  the  back  in  order 
to  see  how  her  clothes  were  put  on  ; but  theunfastening 
of  the  blouse  and  camisole  still  left  it  a mystery  how 
the  skirt  could  be  made  to  encompass  so  small  a waist 
— a problem  which  I fear  will  never  be  solved,  for 
Chinese  skirts  are  completely  open  down  one  side  and 
are  merely  folded  round  the  person.  On  the  opposite 
side  they  also  are  open  up  to  the  waistband,  though 

237 


"The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxi 

this  does  not  show,  owing  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
dress  hanging  over  it.  We  spent  some  time  drinking 
tea,  and  the  lady  talked  impartially  with  her  hostess 
and  her  hostess’s  servants,  her  own  remaining  in  the 
room  all  the  time  and  also  drinking  tea.  Our  ages 
had  to  be  discussed,  and  as  it  appeared  that  mine  almost 
coincided  with  her  own,  I learnt  the  interesting  fa<5l 
that  I was  born  in  the  cycle  of  the  dog.  Owing  to 
my  fair  hair  I have  always  been  considered  by  the 
Chinese  to  be  well  over  eighty  years  of  age,  both  now 
and  on  my  previous  visit.  This  is  an  extremely  useful 
illusion,  as  it  renders  me  worthy  of  great  reverence,  and 
made  it  much  more  proper  for  me  to  be  travelling 
about  and  sitting  by  the  high-road  sketching. 

The  call  still  dragged  on,  and  we  next  discussed 
the  price  of  our  clothes  and  the  places  we  had  visited, 
why  we  were  unmarried,  and  many  other  topics  of 
equal  interest.  After  about  an  hour  of  this  conversation 
the  caller  expressed  a wish  to  see  the  bedrooms,  and 
having  to  pass  through  the  dining-room  in  order  to 
get  there,  she  perceived  with  surprise  that  the  table 
was  laid  for  a meal.  The  white  table-cloth  was  a 
new  object  to  her,  and  one  of  deep  interest.  She 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  watch  us  eat,  so  of  course 
she  was  invited  to  join  the  belated  meal.  While  this 
was  being  brought  in  she  went  upstairs,  and  having 
inspected  everything  carefully,  she  tried  the  bed 
(poor  hostess  !),  and  asked  for  some  “ flea  medicine,” 
alias  Keating. 

We  sat  down  to  lunch,  and  the  lady  sent  her  servant 

238 


ch.  xxi  Tali  Fu 

to  bring  from  her  sedan-chair  a beautifully  coloured 
silk  serviette,  which  she  fastened  to  a button  at  the 
neck  of  her  coat  with  a gold  clasp.  She  got  on  very 
well  with  a fork  instead  of  chopsticks,  but  found  the 
combined  use  of  knife  and  fork  as  difficult  as  we  did 
that  of  chopsticks.  According  to  Chinese  etiquette, 
all  the  company  use  their  own  implements  to  help 
themselves,  and  the  dish  was  conveniently  near  to  the 
lady  ! When  she  had  no  further  use  for  the  chicken 
bones  she  handed  them  over  her  shoulder  to  the  maid, 
to  be  thrown  into  the  courtyard  ; the  more  natural 
course,  which  would  have  been  adopted  had  she  been 
at  home,  would  have  been  to  put  them  under  the 
table.  Carpets  are  not  in  use  even  in  the  houses 
of  the  wealthy,  except  on  special  occasions  such  as 
the  New  Year,  so  that  the  floors  are  treated  in  the 
same  way  as  the  ground  out  of  doors  ! Any  “ plat  ” 
which  was  not  to  the  lady’s  liking  was  also  handed 
to  the  maid  to  eat,  and  it  struck  us  as  quite  a new 
use  for  servants.  When  the  table  boy  was  not  other- 
wise employed,  she  questioned  him  minutely  as  to 
household  arrangements,  the  buying  of  food,  (Sfc.,  as 
if  his  mistress  were  not  present,  and  the  information 
she  received  seemed  to  interest  her  vastly.  She  con- 
tinually pressed  us  to  eat,  and  did  full  justice  to  the 
meal  herself,  ladling  the  gravy  out  of  the  dish  at 
intervals  with  her  own  spoon,  despite  the  fadt  that 
she  was  on  her  way  to  a feast.  I presented  her  with 
a piece  of  English  ribbon  and  explained  its  use,  which 
happily  coincided  with  what  she  had  already  heard 

239 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxi 

of  English  dress  ; but  I was  disappointed  that  she  did 
not  follow  the  Chinese  custom  of  presenting  me  with 
something  in  return.  My  curiosity  to  see  what  her 
gift  would  be  was  justly  punished.  Finally  she  left, 
seemingly  well  pleased  with  her  visit,  which  would 
not  have  been  considered  at  all  a long  one  in  “ the 
middle  kingdom,”  although  we  had  found  it  some- 
what exhausting. 


340 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Tali  Fu  to  Teng  Yueh 

WE  left  Tali  Fu  on  a stormy-looking  morn- 
ing, accompanied  by  the  usual  windy  gusts, 
and  after  about  a couple  of  miles  we 
reached  the  famous  temple  of  the  goddess  of  mercy, 
the  Buddhist  Kwan-yin.  Our  coolies  went  in  to  offer 
incense  and  to  invoke  the  goddess,  as  they  did  on  their 
arrival  at  Tali  Fu  ; for  she  is  a great  favourite  with 
the  coolie  class.  There  is  a beautiful  little  shrine 
perched  on  a big  rock  in  a sort  of  small  tank,  which 
the  goddess  (under  the  guise  of  an  old  woman)  is 
supposed  to  have  brought  here.  In  the  courtyard 
beyond  is  a Buddhist  temple,  and  in  one  of  the  side 
courts  a temple  to  a famous  general,  containing  a 
statue  of  him  much  more  life-like  than  any  we  have 
yet  seen.  The  head  coolie  took  this  opportunity  of 
consulting  the  goddess  as  to  his  mother’s  welfare — 
he  has  not  seen  her  for  over  ten  years — but  the 
answer  was  both  unsatisfactory  and  vague  ! Our 
head  coolie  is  a quaint  individual,  but  decidedly  at- 
tractive. When  we  gave  him  a tael  for  a pork-feast 
for  the  men  he  kept  back  part  of  it,  and  they  were 
extremely  angry.  In  order  to  appease  them,  he  not 

241  Q 


T“he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxii 

only  had  to  pay  up,  but  also  to  give  them  a pork-feast 
on  his  own  account.  He  wears  a most  beautiful  jade 
bangle,  and  is  always  immaculately  clean  to  look  at, 
however  dust-stained  the  rest  of  us  may  be.  Some 
Chinamen  have  that  delightful  quality  of  always 
looking  clean  and  keeping  tidy. 

When  we  were  ready  to  start  again  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents,  so  the  men  put  on  their  hats  and 
every  one  demurred  to  going  on.  There  was  no  time 
to  waste,  however,  so  we  insisted  on  setting  out,  and 
after  a time  the  rain  stopped  and  the  wind  soon  dried 
our  wet  clothes.  Turning  down  the  valley  after  pass- 
ing through  Siakwan,  we  entered  the  defile  through 
a heavy  gateway,  which  is  part  of  the  fortifications, 
through  which  the  wind  tore  like  a hurricane,  snatch- 
ing off  the  black  scarf  I had  wound  round  my  hair 
in  Chinese  fashion,  for  it  was  impossible  to  keep  on 
our  gigantic  hats.  We  made  our  way  through  an  im- 
pressive gorge,  following  the  river  till  we  came  to  our 
halting-place  at  night.  We  had  learnt  at  Tali  that 
the  official  rest-houses  are  open  to  travellers  when 
not  occupied  by  officials,  so  we  sent  on  to  engage 
rooms  in  one,  and  certainly  gained  both  in  quality  and 
quantity,  as  we  occupied  a sort  of  large  barn  with 
pillars  in  it,  which  looked  as  if  it  had  formerly  been 
used  as  a stable.  The  next  night  we  were  not  so 
lucky,  and  had  the  most  riotous  party  of  rats  in  the 
loft  above  us  that  I have  ever  encountered.  Their 
revels  brought  down  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the 
ceiling  on  our  heads,  and  finally  the  rats  themselves 

242 


SUSI’KNSION  HRIDC.K 


ch.  xxii  Tali  Fu  to  Teng  Tueh 

came  down  in  a sort  of  stampede  upon  us,  showing 
no  respedt  whatever  for  the  British  face  or  form. 
The  early  dawn  was  further  made  hideous  by  a chorus 
of  geese,  pigs,  fowls,  and  mules,  a horrid  discord  from 
which  we  hurried  away  into  the  lovely  dew-drenched 
country.  Crossing  a suspension-bridge,  we  began  a 
long,  steep  climb  through  the  pine  woods,  and  the 
miseries  undergone  were  soon  forgotten  in  the  ever 
fresh  beauties  of  the  day.  The  long  range  of  snow- 
capped mountains  lay  behind  us,  and  for  three  hours 
we  mounted  higher  and  higher,  coming  to  large  trees 
of  brilliant  crimson  rhododendrons,  and  various  kinds 
of  roses  climbing  high  up  amongst  them. 

As  we  sat  in  the  shade  near  our  coolies,  taking  a 
little  rest,  a stranger  coolie  came  and  sat  down  in  his  hat 
beside  us,  to  the  great  indignation  of  one  of  our  men, 
who  promptly  administered  a kick  in  the  rear.  He 
returned  the  kick  as  soon  as  our  man  turned  his  back, 
but  otherwise  quite  acquiesced  in  his  dislodgment. 
A much  dirtier  man  of  our  own  then  came  and 
occupied  the  seat,  perhaps  in  order  to  prevent  any 
other  intruder  from  doing  so.  The  journey  from  Tali 
to  Bhamo  was  one,  if  possible,  of  more  beauty  than 
any  former  day’s  travel  of  this  beautiful  tour.  The 
hedges  were  ablaze  with  blossom,  and  the  Pyrus 
japonica  was  wonderful.  The  size  and  colour  of  the 
blossom  astonished  us,  and  also  the  size  of  the  plant, 
which  is  more  like  a tree  than  a shrub.  The  air 
was  sweet  with  jasmine  and  orange  blossom  and 
other  shrubs  of  which  we  did  not  know  the  names. 

243 


T‘he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxii 

The  ascents  and  descents  grew  longer  and  more  pre- 
cipitous. We  saw  a new  variety  of  bridge  of  great 
interest,  entirely  composed  of  creeper.  The  bridge 
was  like  a hammock,  but  fully  a hundred  feet  long, 
and  very  loosely  woven  together  ; the  only  part  of  it 
not  made  of  creeper  was  a narrow  plank  along  the 
centre  for  walking  on,  and  the  upright  poles  at  each 
end.  There  was  a creeper  hand-rail,  but  it  would 
have  been  of  very  little  use  to  hold  on  to  it,  as  it  was 
only  attached  at  the  ends. 

The  seventh  day  after  leaving  Tali  Fu,  we  crossed 
the  Mekong,  a most  pidluresque  river  sunk  in  a 
narrow  gorge  and  spanned  by  a fine  suspension-bridge. 
As  I sat  and  sketched  it  in  the  early  morning  the  air 
was  fragrant  with  wild  orange  blossom  and  jessamine, 
and  handsome  plants  of  orange-coloured  abutilon 
reared  themselves  by  the  roadside.  My  sketching  of 
the  suspension-bridges  might  naturally  strike  the  eye 
of  the  engineer  as  incorredt,  owing  to  the  slightness 
of  the  curve  ; but  the  fadt  is  that  they  are  tightened 
up  after  construdlion  with  very  great  labour,  by  means 
of  windlasses,  till  they  are  (comparatively  speaking) 
horizontal.  On  the  board  above  the  entrance  of  the 
bridge  was  inscribed,  “ Built  by  the  god.” 

The  mountains  are  part  of  the  great  Himalayan 
range,  and  the  spurs  run  almost  diredtly  from  north 
to  south,  so  that  our  road  from  east  to  west  was 
always  up  and  down.  On  reaching  our  halting-place 
for  the  night  we  found  all  the  inns  occupied,  except 
one  where  there  was  a room  but  no  beds.  After  much 


244 


KKIDGK  MADK  OF  CREEPERS 


t k 1 ... 


ch.  xxii  Tali  Fu  to  Teng  Tueh 

altercation,  they  agreed  at  one  of  the  inns  to  turn  out 
some  of  the  coolies  and  to  give  us  their  room  ; but  on 
inspection  the  look  of  it  was  so  unalluring  that  I went 
to  see  what  the  bedless  room  was  like,  and  found  a 
large  barn  over  a stable,  which  contained  nothing  but 
a family  altar  and  some  fodder.  This  seemed  infinitely 
preferable  to  us,  especially  as  it  had  two  large  windows 
looking  on  to  the  mountains.  We  spread  our  oil- 
cloth on  the  floor  and  our  mattresses  on  it,  and  passed 
a far  more  comfortable  night  than  many  that  we  had 
had,  being  undisturbed  by  cats  or  rats.  Only  a night 
or  two  before,  a cat  had  raided  our  larder,  which  we 
thought  we  had  made  quite  secure,  overturning  the 
pan,  getting  the  lid  off,  and  departing  with  our  tender 
young  chicken,  of  which  one  leg  only  was  left  in  the 
pan.  We  always  had  to  be  very  careful  in  packing 
up  all  food  before  going  to  bed,  but  that  mattered 
little,  as  we  took  none  in  the  morning  before  starting. 
Indeed,  we  found  we  required  much  less  food  on  this 
journey  than  elsewhere,  and  two  light  meals  a day 
were  amply  sufficient  for  our  needs.  At  midday  we 
always  lunched  al  fresco,  being  set  down  outside  the 
village  where  the  men  were  to  get  their  meal. 

The  next  day  after  the  theft  we  were  unable  to 
get  a chicken  of  any  sort,  and  the  following  day  we 
had  to  put  up  with  a prehistoric  beast.  In  faCf,  our 
hands  became  horny  from  wrestling  with  tough  fowls. 
Sometimes  unexpected  dainties  turned  up,  and  cer- 
tainly we  had  a novel  surprise  on  arriving  at  the 
town  of  Yung  Chang  Fu.  While  sitting  at  supper, 

245 


T^he  Face  of  Chma  ch.  xxii 

a visiting-card  was  brought  in  from  the  magistrate, 
with  a tray  containing  two  fine  ducks,  two  tins  of 
sardines,  and  a bottle  of  House  of  Commons  whisky  ; 
two  lively  fowls  also  were  deposited  on  the  floor. 
We  sent  our  thanks  to  the  magistrate  for  his  kindness, 
and  accepted  the  fowls,  but  returned  the  remainder 
of  his  gift  according  to  custom.  Our  servant  had 
vainly  been  trying  to  get  a chicken  for  us,  so  the 
gift  was  most  opportune,  and  we  should  have  liked 
to  thank  the  polite  magistrate  in  person. 

After  dinner  we  sent  for  the  head  coolie,  as  this 
was  one  of  the  places  where  we  paid  the  wages,  and 
were  amused  to  see  him  secrete  thirty-six  ounces  of 
silver  up  his  sleeve  as  if  it  were  nothing.  The  total 
cost  of  hire  for  eighteen  coolies  from  Yunnan  to 
Bhamo,  a journey  which  occupied  thirty-three  travel- 
ling days,  was  a little  under  ^C34- 

For  the  first  and  last  time  in  the  whole  of  our  six 
months’  journey,  we  met  a European  on  the  road, 
and  he  kindly  gave  us  permission  not  only  to  stay  at 
his  house  at  Teng  Yueh,  but  gave  us  the  keys  of  his 
store-room  ; having  heard  previously  of  our  coming, 
he  had  given  instructions  to  the  caretaker  to  be  on 
the  look-out  for  us.  In  any  case,  we  should  not  have 
been  likely  to  miss  him  on  the  high-road,  except  at  a 
spot  where  they  have  made  a new  road  to  shorten  the 
distance,  and  where  Liu  took  the  opposite  road  from 
the  one  we  did  when  he  went  ahead  to  get  rooms. 

Three  days  after  we  had  crossed  the  Mekong,  we 
had  a stifFer  climb  down  to  the  Salween,  which  is 

246 


ch.  xxii  T'ali  Fu  to  Teng  Tueh 

2300  feet  above  sea-level.  It  has  a shocking  reputa- 
tion for  malaria,  but  at  this  season  there  was  nothing 
to  fear.  However,  I offered  a dose  of  quinine  to 
whoever  wished  to  have  it,  and  every  one  eagerly 
applied.  The  only  member  of  the  party  who  was 
unable  to  take  quinine  tried  what  is  frequently  found 
to  be  a good  alternative,  cinnamon.  The  Salween 
has  a two-span  bridge,  connedted  in  the  centre  by  a 
fine  block  of  masonry.  The  village  close  by  seems  to 
be  inhabited  by  Shans,  and  the  coolies  took  a long  rest 
before  beginning  the  toilsome  ascent.  We  climbed 
up  for  about  two  hours,  and  were  thankful  for  a 
night’s  rest  before  climbing  the  remaining  three. 
We  had  sent  one  of  our  escort  ahead  in  good  time 
to  secure  the  only  inn,  which  was  of  primitive  con- 
struction, and  of  which,  as  not  infrequently  happens, 
the  partitions  were  so  flimsy  as  to  allow  of  a fairly 
good  view  from  one  room  into  another. 

The  scenery  next  day  was  particularly  fine,  and 
from  this  point  the  vegetation  became  semi-tropical. 
The  monkeys  barked  and  chattered,  but  kept  out  of 
sight,  and  we  spent  a long  day  in  climbing  down 
from  the  eight-thousand-foot  elevation  to  which  we 
had  climbed  so  laboriously  on  the  previous  evening. 
The  following  day  we  reached  Teng  Yueh  in  a 
tearing  wind.  In  faCl,  we  have  found  the  wind  the 
most  fatiguing  element  in  our  travels. 

Teng  Yueh  (or  Momein,  as  it  was  formerly  called) 
boasts  an  English  consulate,  and  we  were  kindly  enter- 
tained there  by  the  Consul’s  arrangement,  although 

247 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxii 

he  himself  was  absent.  His  delightful  Chinese  major- 
domo  received  us  with  his  best  English  welcome, 
and  delighted  us  by  at  once  asking  “ Missee  want 
hot  bath  ? ” “ Other  Missee  want  hot  bath  ? ” and 

promptly  went  to  get  them  ready.  He  proved  to  be 
the  most  attentive  of  servants,  and  told  us  we  were 
to  ask  for  whatever  we  wanted.  Naturally,  the  first 
requisite  seemed  a washerwoman,  and  he  promised 
to  send  “ catchee  female,”  and  the  next  morning  he 
introduced  an  elegant  native  laden  with  jewelry. 
To  a further  request  that  he  would  procure  a small 
piece  of  mutton  for  us  to  take  on  our  journey,  he  said, 
“ No  can  catchee  mutton,  but  goat  very  good.” 

The  neighbourhood  of  Teng  Yueh  is  pidluresque, 
surrounded  by  mountains,  and  the  town  itself  is  more 
open  and  clean  than  most.  The  people  have  pleasant 
manners  and  are  friendly  to  the  foreigner.  There  is 
a new  Custom  House  and  post-office,  and  houses  for 
the  European  staff,  which  are  not  yet  all  completed. 
These  stand  out  conspicuously,  surrounded  by  their 
walls,  and  we  saw  them  many  miles  away  as  we 
descended  from  the  mountains.  We  felt  that  this 
was  our  last  chance  of  getting  Chinese  things,  so  we 
spent  the  afternoon  shopping,  but  were  not  altogether 
successful.  The  jade  for  which  the  place  is  cele- 
brated we  found  more  expensive  than  we  had  expedted, 
and  there  did  not  seem  much  choice.  The  threaten- 
ing look  of  the  sky  made  us  procure  waterproof  hat- 
covers  at  one  penny  apiece,  and  they  proved  quite 
efficacious  in  dispersing  the  clouds.  There  were 

248 


SHAN  WOMAN 


ch.  xxii  T^ali  Fu  to  Teng  Tueh 

pine-apples,  bananas,  tomatoes,  and  various  vegetables 
in  the  market  ; and  we  also  succeeded  in  buying 
postage-stamps,  of  which  we  had  found  the  post- 
office  of  Tali  Fu  practically  empty.  We  had  some 
difficulty,  in  fadt,  in  getting  them  at  most  of  the  post- 
offices  in  the  province  of  Yunnan, 

And  now  we  started  on  our  last  Chinese  journey, 
after  one  day’s  rest,  feeling  each  day  more  regretful 
at  the  thought  that  it  would  so  soon  be  ended.  The 
days  grew  hotter  and  the  wind  stronger,  and  the 
road  not  nearly  so  beautiful,  and  the  inns  decidedly 
worse,  yet  still  we  looked  back  with  wistful  eyes  to  the 
“Flowery  Land”  (so  justly  named)  we  had  passed 
through.  The  country  seemed  mainly  inhabited  by 
Shans,  a fine,  well-built  race,  very  clean-looking,  and 
the  women  pidluresquely  dressed.  Most  of  them 
were  entirely  dressed  in  black,  with  large  silver 
ornaments,  and  they  looked  very  attractive  with 
jaunty  bunches  of  jasmine  stuck  in  their  tall  black 
turbans.  Their  villages  looked  quite  different  from 
the  Chinese  villages.  The  inns  look  miserable,  but 
are  less  abjeCt  than  they  appear  ; and  when,  to  my 
surprise,  in  the  dim  light  I saw  through  the  airy 
bamboo  screen  (which  formed  the  wall)  a portly  pig 
arise  from  my  side,  I thought  how  often  one  had 
passed  much  less  comfortable  nights  in  pleasanter 
surroundings  ! I think  the  pig  must  have  taken 
up  her  residence  there  when  I was  asleep. 

From  Teng  Yueh  to  Bhamo  the  route  lies  all  the 
way  along  the  river-side  of  the  Taping,  and  the  first 

249 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxii 

part  of  it  is  most  tiresome,  as  it  is  constantly  in  the 
shingly  bed  of  the  river  itself,  where  the  heat  of  the 
sun  is  refledted  from  the  stones.  Our  coolies’  clothing 
grew  daily  less,  and  even  the  chilly  creature  who  wore 
an  eighteenpenny  skin  coat  discarded  it.  In  fadt,  the 
coolies  began  to  look  like  the  conventional  pidtures 
of  John  the  Baptist  with  one  bare  arm  exposed  to 
view.  One  of  our  attentive  boys  always  presented  us 
with  our  hats  when  he  thought  it  time  to  put  them 
on  in  the  morning  on  account  of  the  heat.  We  tied 
them  very  securely  to  our  chairs  ever  since  one  of  the 
coolies  thought  fit  to  carry  my  friend’s  hat  on  his 
own  head. 

There  was  an  amusing  theatrical  performance  of  an 
elementary  kind  held  close  to  our  inn  in  a small  village. 
It  was  a sort  of  votive  offering  as  a thanksgiving  for 
the  recovery  of  a sick  person.  The  stage  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  road.  It  consisted  in  a table  and  a 
small  bench  in  front  of  it,  on  which  stood  the  prin- 
cipal figure,  representing  the  Emperor.  He  recited 
a good  deal  under  the  large  flowing  beard  which 
covered  his  mouth,  and  which  he  occasionally  pre- 
tended to  pull.  As  it  was  attached  with  string  round 
his  ear,  a slight  tweak  would  have  detached  it.  Before 
him  stood  three  gaudily  dressed  figures,  who  made  a 
few  dance  steps  at  intervals,  and  turned  round  ; they 
also  recited  now  and  then.  Their  main  occupation, 
however,  seemed  to  be  fanning  themselves  and  ex- 
peftorating.  When  they  got  tired  they  withdrew 
behind  the  table  for  tea,  and  the  Emperor  twitched 

250 


ch.  xxii  "Tali  Fii  to  Te?tg  Yiieh 

off  his  beard  and  imperial  clothes  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye,  with  an  air  of  infinite  relief.  The  clothes  were 
thrown  into  a large  basket  which  seemed  to  contain 
all  the  stage  properties.  The  spectators  were  really 
the  most  interesting  part  of  the  show,  as  several  of 
the  women  had  evidently  got  on  their  best  clothes, 
and  fine  silver  ornaments  all  over  their  high  turbans, 
and  massive  necklaces  and  bangles.  We  were  begin- 
ning at  last  to  get  away  from  the  prevalent  plague 
of  goitre,  and  it  was  a relief  to  see  clean,  healthy 
people  again. 


25> 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


From  China  into  Burma 

Gradually  the  scenery  changed  as  we 
approached  British  territory,  and  then,  quite 
suddenly,  the  vegetation  became  tropical 
within  a day’s  march  of  the  frontier.  The  trees  are 
much  more  lofty,  and  rise  as  straight  as  darts  up  into 
the  blue.  Often  they  are  strangled  by  the  huge 
creepers  which  wind  round  and  round  them,  and  seem 
to  draw  their  life-blood  from  the  trees  which  they 
kill,  becoming  almost  as  large  in  the  trunk,  and  with 
great  bloated  leaves  concealing  their  victims.  Long 
feelers  hang  down  from  the  tree-tops,  and  orchids  and 
ferns  grow  profusely,  high  up  among  the  branches. 
Everything  possesses  a brilliancy  and  size  and  vitality 
which  has  in  it  something  fearful ; indeed,  it  is  as  if 
it  were  an  evil  power  brooding  over  everything  and 
crushing  weaker  things  in  a relentless  grasp.  The 
spider-webs  are  like  gauze  handkerchiefs  spread  over 
the  banks,  in  the  centre  of  which  are  gaping  door- 
ways, where  you  see  the  monster  spider  sprawling 
with  an  insolent,  will-you-walk-into-my-parlour  air. 
The  monkeys  chatter  and  jabber  unseen  ; some  of 
them — the  “ gibbons  ” — are  of  a large  size.  Parrots 

252 


ch.  xxiii  From  China  into  Burma 

scream,  and  modest-plumaged  familiar  birds  are  re- 
placed by  brilliant  ones  with  shrill,  unsympathetic 
voices.  We  met,  too,  various  tribes-people,  such  as 
Shans  and  Kachins. 

Our  spirits  fell  somewhat,  too,  at  the  thought  of 
leaving  China,  of  parting  from  our  pleasant  company, 
and  ending  the  most  delightful  tour  we  had  ever  had. 
The  last  night  we  spent  at  a “head  man’s”  house, 
but  his  Excellency  was  away  from  home.  We  had  a 
pleasant  upstairs  room  overlooking  a large  courtyard 
filled  with  pack-animals,  whose  driver  slept  with  them 
in  the  open,  according  to  custom,  despite  a terrific 
thunderstorm  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  There 
was  no  door  to  our  room,  but  we  hung  up  a curtain, 
and  a soldier  slept  just  outside.  Mr.  Ku  and  Liu 
slept  one  on  each  side  of  the  family  altar  downstairs. 
We  started  next  morning  at  the  usual  hour,  and  after 
some  miles  our  military  escort  took  leave  of  us,  at 
the  edge  of  the  stream  which  divides  the  two  greatest 
empires  in  the  world.  A rude  trunk  adted  as  bridge, 
and  we  saw  Liu  timorously  hesitating  on  the  edge, 
till  one  of  the  coolies  took  pity  on  him  and  came  and 
handed  him  across.  As  this  was  the  first  time  that 
our  men  had  been  on  British  soil  (with  the  exception 
of  two  of  them),  we  felt  we  ought  to  do  something  to 
celebrate  the  event,  and  I was  very  anxious  that  they 
should  look  their  best  when  we  came  to  the  British 
outpost.  It  was  in  vain,  however,  that  I had  offered 
to  have  them  all  shaved  and  coiffed,  as  I found  it 
would  pradtically  take  a day  to  get  it  done  ; and  also 

253 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiii 

there  was  a difEculty  in  even  procuring  a barber  in 
any  of  the  adjoining  villages.  It  is  astounding  the 
difference  the  shaving  makes  in  their  appearance,  as 
the  larger  part  of  the  head  is  kept  shaved.  We  had 
to  give  up  the  hope  of  making  a brave  show,  but  this 
did  not  signify  so  much  when  we  found  that  there 
was  no  British  outpost.  In  fadt,  the  only  thing  that 
marked  the  difference  of  territory  was  that  now  we 
came  on  to  a splendid  road  and  found  excellent  bridges. 
We  promised  the  men  “tooth-worship”  (namely, 
pork-feast)  that  evening,  but  there  was  nothing  very 
attradtive  to  be  obtained  when  we  got  to  the  extremely 
imperfedl  inn  where  we  halted  for  the  night.  It  was 
a bamboo  eredlion,  rather  like  cellular  clothing  in  its 
porousness,  and,  as  usual,  our  room  lay  in  the  centre. 
The  place  was  conspicuously  large,  airy,  and  clean,  but 
it  required  all  our  luggage  and  the  curtains  to  make 
any  sort  of  screen.  After  supper  we  set  out  all  our 
empty  tins  and  bottles,  as  there  is  nothing  which 
coolies  esteem  more.  They  had  been  begging  us  all 
the  time  to  give  them  our  biscuit-tins,  which  were 
the  greatest  prizes,  though  jam-  and  butter-tins  were 
useful  for  cooking  purposes.  The  biscuit-tins  had 
been  promised  to  those  who  were  thought  most  de- 
serving. When  they  put  them  in  our  chairs  for  us, 
they  would  tap  them  and  give  us  a wink,  as  much 
as  to  say,  “ This  is  going  to  be  mine  some  day,”  or 
shake  them  to  see  if  they  were  nearly  empty.  By 
this  time  we  had  got  a thoroughly  large  seledlion, 
and  had  an  amusing  time  in  distributing  them.  The 

254. 


ch.  xxiii  From  China  into  Burma 

men  also  petitioned  for  quinine  to  take  with  them 
for  recrossing  the  Salween  ; each  man  received  two 
doses,  to  his  great  satisfaction. 

The  last  morning  dawned  ; for  the  last  time  we 
heard  the  familiar  awakening  cry,  “ Arise,  wash 
your  faces,  eat  your  rice,”  and  we  reluctantly  made 
our  way  along  the  beautiful  road  through  the  forest, 
a road  such  as  the  coolies  had  never  seen  before. 
We  had  ordered  gharri  ( = carriage)  to  meet  us  ten 
miles  from  the  town,  as  it  was  too  long  for  a one 
day’s  stage,  now  that  the  hot  weather  had  set  in  ; so 
we  arranged  for  the  men  and  coolies  to  follow  us  to 
Bhamo  the  next  day  with  our  chairs  and  luggage. 
We  halted  at  the  Dak  Bungalow,  where  we  were 
met  by  one  of  our  friends  from  Bhamo,  and  after 
tea  we  transferred  our  requisites  to  the  gharri  and 
set  out  for  Bhamo.  As  we  rattled  along  in  the  noisy 
and  uncomfortable  vehicle  we  longed  for  our  comfort- 
able chairs,  but  were  soon  pulled  up  short  by  the 
harness  giving  way.  A piece  of  cloth  proved  in- 
effedfual  to  hold  it  together  for  more  than  about 
half  a mile.  I then  provided  a piece  of  string  which 
proved  more  efficacious,  but  only  a few  minutes  later 
there  was  a hopeless  crash  as  the  axle  split  in  two 
between  the  front  wheels.  We  had  to  sit  down 
ignominiously  by  the  roadside  for  at  least  an  hour, 
while  the  man  rode  off  on  the  horse  to  get  another 
carriage.  Oh,  to  be  back  in  China,  where  we  found 
things  so  slow  and  steady  ! 

Next  morning  our  men  arrived  with  the  luggage, 

255 


T^he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiii 

and  after  settling  accounts  with  them  and  presenting 
them  with  the  two  sedan-chairs  and  our  carrying- 
poles,  we  regretfully  bade  them  good-bye.  I think 
the  desire  was  exceedingly  strong  on  both  sides  that 
we  should  meet  again  and  have  just  such  another 
journey.  With  many  journeys  it  requires  the  mellow- 
ing distance  of  time  to  forget  the  disagreeables,  but 
we  had  but  one  thought  in  looking  back,  and  that 
was  one  of  entire  satisfadtion. 


256 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

The  Present  Situation  in  China 

SINCE  the  preceding  chapters  were  written 
great  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  Chinese 
Empire,  and  a new  reign  has  begun.  The 
sudden,  simultaneous  death  of  the  Emperor  and  the 
Dowager  Empress  at  first  caused  a feeling  of  general 
consternation  ; but  it  soon  became  evident  that  the 
reins  of  government  had  passed  into  strong  and  cap- 
able hands.  The  Regent  has  already  shown  that  he 
intends  to  pursue  the  policy  of  his  predecessor,  both 
with  regard  to  external  and  internal  matters,  and 
reform  is  the  order  of  the  day. 

In  the  concluding  pages  of  this  volume  I venture 
to  give  a brief  summary  of  the  special  points  under 
consideration  at  the  present  time,  which  foreshadow 
the  changes  to  be  expedled  in  the  near  future.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  one,  no  matter  how  intimately 
acquainted  with  Chinese  affairs,  to  foretell  what  will 
be  the  outcome  of  the  great  constitutional  change 
which  is  contemplated  ; but  it  is  of  importance  that 
the  European  public  should  understand  the  conditions 
under  which  it  takes  place.  It  would  be  presumption 
on  my  part  to  do  anything  more  than  call  attention 

257  R 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

to  the  problems  and  the  difficulties  which  beset  the 
path  of  the  reformer. 

At  the  present  time  the  government  of  China  is 
an  absolute  monarchy,  and  as  the  new  Emperor  is 
but  four  years  old,  the  supreme  power  is  vested  in  a 
Regent,  his  father.  Prince  Chun  : he  was  really  ap- 
pointed by  the  late  Dowager  Empress,  though  nomi- 
nally by  the  Emperor.  The  Regent  is  assisted  by  a 
Grand  Council,  composed  of  five  leadingState  officials, 
and  contains  some  of  the  ablest  statesmen  in  the 
Empire.  There  are,  moreover,  several  boards  for  the 
control  and  management  of  various  State  departments, 
such  as  the  Wai  wupu,  the  Board  for  Foreign  Affairs 
(formerly  called  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen)  ; the  Lung- 
kung-shangpu,  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  Industry, 
and  Commerce ; the  Tuchihpu,  the  Board  of  Finance ; 
the  Boards  of  Education,  of  Justice,  of  War,  of  Naval 
Affairs,  (Sfc.  ; but  all  these  boards  are  under  the  absolute 
control  of  the  Regent.  He  has  the  supreme  authority, 
and  can  depose,  banish,  or  execute  at  will,  and  with- 
out any  form  of  trial,  any  official  of  whatsoever  rank, 
as  was  seen  in  the  recent  case  of  H.E.  Yuan  Shih 
Kai,  one  of  the  ablest  Chinese  statesmen  and  one 
of  the  leading  figures  in  educational  reform.  The 
Regent  appoints  all  officials  on  these  several  boards, 
all  viceroys  and  governors  of  provinces,  and  all 
envoys  to  foreign  countries.  Since  the  troubles  of 
1900  there  has  been  a growing  desire  for  constitu- 
tional reform,  and  a few  years  ago  H.E.  Tuan  Fang, 
Viceroy  of  the  Liangkiang,  was  despatched  on  a 

258 


ch.  xxiv  Present  Situatio?i  in  China 

mission  of  investigation  to  several  large  European 
countries,  to  America,  and  to  Japan.  I cannot  do 
better  than  quote  his  own  words  as  to  the  result  of 
his  mission.  They  form  part  of  a preface  written  by 
him  (as  an  introduftion)  to  Green’s  “ Short  History 
of  the  English  People,”  which  has  recently  been 
translated  into  Chinese.  “ In  the  various  civilised 
countries  my  objedt  was  to  seledt  and  compare  their 
constitutions.  Arriving  in  London,  I sawthe  excellent 
order  of  the  constitution  in  ruler  and  people.  In 
Japan’s  reformation  she  got  much  from  England  ; 
much  more  will  our  country  by-and-by  take  England 
for  her  model.  . . . Excellent  is  the  word  of  Dr. 
Macklin  [the  translator],  ‘If  you  desire  to  establish 
a constitution  you  must  follow  England.  To  follow 
England  you  must  read  English  history.’  ” 

The  determination  has  been  arrived  at  to  have  a 
representative  assembly  ; other  envoys  have  been  sent 
to  Europe  to  obtain  fuller  information  about  consti- 
tutional methods,  and  measures  are  being  taken  to 
prepare  the  Chinese  people  for  the  momentous  change. 
The  development  of  local  government  is  an  impor- 
tant step  in  this  direction,  and  the  Regent  has  strongly 
commended  the  successful  work  done  in  the  Liang- 
kiang  provinces,  urging  others  to  follow  the  good 
example  of  H.E.  Tuan  Fang.  The  elective  body 
will  be  a very  limited  one  : it  will  consist  of  (i)  all 
holders  of  literary  degrees  (students  only  holding  de- 
grees granted  by  Christian  colleges  are  debarred  from 
voting) ; (ii)  all  holders  of  property  to  the  amount 

259 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

of  5000  taels  (about  Those  eligible  for  the 

vote  are  further  restricted  by  the  prohibition  against 
opium-smokers,  Buddhist  monks,  (Sfc.  The  date  is 
not  yet  fixed  for  the  summoning  of  the  first  assembly, 
but  it  is  proposed  that  it  should  take  place  in  the 
fourth  year  of  the  present  reign. 

The  salient  charadteristic  of  the  present  Govern- 
ment is  the  divorce  of  the  executive  from  the  legis- 
lative faculty.  Edidts  are  issued  incessantly,  but  very 
little  is  done  to  give  pradtical  effedt  to  the  majority 
of  them.  Official  corruption  is  almost  universal,  and 
the  difficulties  of  combating  it  are  so  great  that  many 
good  men  are  deterred  from  entering  official  life 
because  they  feel  the  impossibility  of  putting  a stop 
to  bribery  in  their  own  Yamens.  Up  to  the  present 
time  bribery  has  been  legitimatised  and  nothing  done 
to  check  it,  except  in  flagrant  cases  ; now  there  is  to 
be  a serious  attempt  made  to  put  it  down,  and  the 
fadl  is  recognised  that  it  is  a public  wrong,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  edidt  quoted  on  page  129. 

While  the  general  public  in  China  does  not  show 
much  interest  in  the  question  of  representative  govern- 
ment, nor  indeed  understand  anything  about  it,  there 
is  a growing  interest  taken  in  the  question  of  social 
reforms.  One  of  the  most  pressing  ones  is  that  of 
prison  reform.  The  extra-territoriality  agreement  is 
a source  of  constant  irritation  to  the  Chinese,  although 
they  are  forced  to  admit  the  necessity  for  it,  so  long 
as  the  administration,  the  prisons,  and  the  laws  are 
in  such  an  unsatisfadtory  condition.  Commissioners 


ch.  xxiv  Present  Situation  m Chma 

have  been  appointed  to  thoroughly  investigate  the 
whole  question  and  to  study  European  prison  methods, 
while  newspaper  intelligence  informs  us  that  a gallows 
has  been  imported  from  Great  Britain  ! New  prisons 
are  being  eredfed  in  many  places,  but  that  is  the  least 
important  change  which  humanity  demands. 

Of  more  importance  than  prison  reform  is  the 
opium  question.  Since  the  conference  at  Shanghai 
in  the  early  part  of  this  year  more  strenuous  efforts 
are  being  made  to  combat  the  evil,  and  real  progress 
is  reported  from  those  parts  of  the  Empire  where 
officials  are  loyally  and  enthusiastically  enforcing  the 
imperial  decrees.  In  a report  of  H.E.  Tuan  Fang  it  is 
stated  that  during  the  three  years  which  have  elapsed 
since  the  anti-opium  campaign  was  started  6o  per 
cent,  of  the  smokers  have  given  up  the  habit.  The 
mowage  of  the  poppy-planted  ground  and  the  number 
of  opium  shops  have  been  decreased  more  than  50 
per  cent. 

From  the  province  of  Yunnan,  where  we  saw  much 
poppy  cultivation,  news  comes  that  the  traveller  sees 
praftically  none  ; from  Szechwan  and  Shansi  similar 
reports  state  that  other  crops  have  entirely  replaced 
the  poppy  except  in  isolated  distridfs.  Opium  dens 
are  being  closed,  and  fines  and  other  punishments  are 
imposed  on  growers  and  sellers  of  the  drug.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  severe  penalties  already  in  force,  yet  worse 
are  to  follow  in  case  opium-smoking  is  not  abandoned 
within  the  prescribed  time  limit.  From  the  current 
year — according  to  a recent  edidf — to  the  fifth  year 

261 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

of  Hsuan  Tung  the  maximum  penalty  for  officials 
smoking  opium  is  strangulation  ; in  the  sixth  year  this 
penalty  is  to  be  extended  to  the  gentry,  and  in  the 
seventh  to  the  common  people.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  that  China  is  in  real  earnest  in  her  determination 
to  root  out  what  she  considers  the  worst  evil  in  her 
national  life,  and  it  will  be  a disgrace  to  the  British 
Empire  if  we  let  selfish  considerations  prevent  our 
loyal  co-operation  with  her.  What  is  to  be  said  of 
such  double-dealing  as  is  shown  in  the  fadt  that  the 
British  Government  has  agreed  to  reduce  the  import 
of  opium  from  India,  and  to  let  it  entirely  cease  by 
1917,  provided  the  Chinese  Government  shows  her 
sincerity  in  putting  down  the  traffic,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  very  efforts  made  by  the  Chinese 
officials  are  checkmated  by  the  protests  of  his 
Majesty’s  Government  ? This  has  adtually  stopped 
the  splendid  work  of  H.E.  Tuan  Fang  in  the 
Kiangsu  province  during  the  last  two  years.  “ His 
adtion  was  suspended  on  the  protest  of  his  Majesty’s 
Government  that  it  came  in  conflidt  with  treaty 
provisions.  The  whole  scheme  is  now  in  abey- 
ance,” &c} 

Other  difficulties  which  China  has  to  face  in  deal- 
ing with  the  opium  question  are  set  forth  in  an 
imperial  decree  of  March  15,  1909  : — 

“ Opium  suppression  is  a necessary  measure  to  the 

' Extract  from  Sir  John  Jordan’s  correspondence  with  the  Foreign  Office 
— Paper  China,  No.  i,  1908,  page  36.  For  full  details  of  this  matter,  see 
Arnold-Forster’s  International  Commission  for  the  Investigation  of  the 
Opium  Trade”  (Hodder  & Stoughton). 

262 


ch.  xxiv  Present  Situation  in  China 

strengthening  of  our  Empire,  as  well  as  the  main- 
spring of  the  development  and  instruction  of  the 
people,  involving,  as  it  does,  questions  of  hygiene, 
of  enriching  the  people,  of  developing  terrestrial  pro- 
fits, and  of  arresting  a drain  on  the  national  wealth. 
All  eyes  are  turned  to  this  subjeCt,  and  much  universal 
sympathy  and  assistance  have  been  exhibited. 

“ On  the  question,  three  steps  are  closely  interrelated 
and  dependent,  and  these  are  : prohibition  of  smok- 
ing and  of  plantation,  and  devising  of  means  to  raise 
revenue  to  fill  the  deficit  caused  in  the  opium  duties. 
Should  any  one  of  these  be  inefficiently  carried  out, 
the  other  two  will  in  consequence  be  hampered,  and 
success  would  be  looked  for  in  vain. 

“ In  recent  years,  though  officials  addicted  to  the 
smoking  habit  have  been  examined  and  denounced 
on  repeated  occasions  by  the  Anti-Opium  Commis- 
sioners and  Viceroys  and  Governors  of  the  provinces, 
there  still  exists  a number  of  them  who  trifle  with  the 
interdict  and  veneer  their  faults  in  that  respeCt. 

“ With  regard  to  the  prohibition  of  the  poppy  plan- 
tation in  the  provinces,  it  was  first  decided  to  de- 
crease the  plantation  gradually  in  ten  years.  Later, 
the  authorities  of  Yunnan,  Szechwan,  Shansi,  Chili, 
Heilungkiang,  and  other  provinces  asked  permission 
to  forbid  plantation  entirely  in  one  year.  This,  no 
doubt,  shows  great  energy  of  purpose  ; but  whether 
their  intention  is  thoroughly  carried  out  in  all  their 
provinces,  and  whether  the  local  officials  succeed  in 
inducing  the  people  to  plant  other  profitable  produCts 

263 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

on  their  soil  to  yield  them  a living  so  that  they  gladly 
submit  to  the  suppression,  remains  to  be  seen. 

“ The  duties  and  likin  on  this  drug  are  required 
for  the  bulk  of  the  army  estimates.  Recently  the 
Ministry  of  Finance  memorialised  us  and  obtained 
permission  to  increase  the  price  of  salt  to  make  up 
for  these  duties  and  likin.  This  plan,  however,  only 
aggregates  four  or  five  million  taels,  and  there  still 
remains  a large  deficit. 

“ We  are  eagerly  bent  on  introducing  a better 
government,  and  between  our  agitation  at  the  long 
weakness  of  our  people,  in  whom  it  is  difficult  to  in- 
fuse energy,  and  the  fear  that  the  expectations  of  the 
friendly  Powers  may  not  be  easily  satisfied,  we  are 
filled  with  constant  and  pressing  anxiety.  We  hereby 
reiterate  the  prohibition  against  smoking.  The  Anti- 
Opium  Commissioners  and  the  high  officials  in  the 
capital  and  provinces  are  held  responsible  to  forbid, 
faithfully  and  with  energy,  all  officials,civil  or  military, 
to  smoke.  Those  in  command  of  troops  or  in  charge 
of  educational  institutions  are  made  responsible  for 
suppression  of  smoking  among  soldiers  and  students. 
As  to  merchants  and  the  people,  the  responsibility 
must  rest  with  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  the 
Viceroys,  Governors,  Military  Governors,  and  the 
Governor  of  the  Imperial  Prefecture  of  Shuntienfu. 
They  will  try  to  obtain  the  best  prescriptions,  establish 
anti-opium  institutes,  and  distribute  free  medicines 
when  necessary.  They  should  encourage  their  sense 
of  honour,  and  adopt  the  plans  and  practices  of  foreign 

264 


ch.  xxiv  Present  Situation  m China 

countries,  so  that  the  people’s  vices  may  be  gradually 
lessened  and  finally  eradicated. 

“ As  to  the  prohibition  of  plantation,  Viceroys  or 
Governors,  the  Governor  of  the  Imperial  Prefecture 
of  Shuntienfu,and  Military  Governors  are  commanded 
to  diredt  their  subordinates  to  carry  out  the  suppres- 
sion with  care  and  thoroughness.  They  should  also 
cause  other  grains  to  be  planted  in  place  of  the  per- 
nicious drug,  and  they  will  be  rewarded  according  to 
the  degree  of  success  they  attain.  The  Ministry  of 
the  Interior  will  supervise  these  measures  being  put 
in  operation. 

“ In  regard  to  devising  means  to  fill  the  deficit  of 
duties  and  likin,  the  Ministry  of  Finance  is  desired 
carefully  to  consider  the  question.  It  is,  undoubtedly, 
an  important  point  to  be  dealt  with,  but  it  may  be 
disposed  of  by  weighing  advantages  and  drawbacks 
and  considering  all  possible  resources.  Viceroys  and 
Governors  who  may  have  valuable  suggestions  on 
the  question  are  ordered  to  memorialise  the  Throne 
for  their  adoption,  so  that  those  carrying  out  the 
suppression  need  not  be  hampered  by  financial  con- 
siderations. Though  the  Government  is  in  straitened 
circumstances,  it  will  neither  seek  to  satisfy  its  hunger 
nor  quench  its  thirst  at  the  expense  of  this  harmful 
poison,  so  that  it  may  rid  its  people  of  this  great  bane. 

“ Dividing,  in  this  way,  the  responsibilities  and 
actions,  no  evasion  of  burden  will  be  permitted,  and 
all  concerned  are  commanded  to  put  forth  their  best 
energies  to  aid  us  in  securing  prosperous  rule  by  taking 

265 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

natural  advantages  to  ameliorate  the  conditions  of  life 
among  our  people.  After  receipt  of  this  Edidl  each 
office  in  the  capital  or  provinces  is  commanded  to 
make  a careful  report  of  its  plan  of  operation  in  this 
affair.” 

[The  above  edidt  is  sealed  by  the  Prince  Regent, 
and  is  signed  by  the  Grand  Councillors  Prince  Ching, 
Shih  Hsii,  Chang  Chih-tung,  and  Lu  Ch’uan-lin.] 

This  decree  leads  us  to  another  problem  the  solution 
of  which  will  task  the  ablest  of  her  statesmen,  namely, 
the  financial  problem.  It  may  well  be  that  she  would 
be  wiser  to  seek  foreign  expert  knowledge  to  grapple 
with  it,  rather  than  to  tide  over  present  difficulties  by 
having  recourse  to  foreign  loans. 

There  seems  no  reasonable  doubt  that  China  pos- 
sesses untold  mineral  wealth,  and  that  railway  enter- 
prise ought  also  to  become  a valuable  source  of  income. 
Foreign  nations  have  realised  it  only  too  well,  and 
railway  and  mining  concessions  have  been  granted, 
which  China  is  now  trying  to  win  back  into  her  own 
hands.  She  has  not  been  altogether  faithful  to  her 
agreements,  and  the  foreign  Powers  remind  one  of  a 
pack  of  snarling  hounds  quarrelling  over  the  booty. 
It  is  certain  that  China  cannot  dispense  at  the  present 
time  with  foreign  assistance,  but  she  would  probably 
find  it  more  profitable  in  the  long  run  to  obtain  the 
best  expert  knowledge,  and  to  pay  for  it,  rather  than 
to  try  and  make  bargains  and  to  obtain  quick  returns. 
At  the  present  time  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  country 
can  only  be  successfully  developed  under  the  diredtion 

266 


ch.  xxiv  Present  Situatmi  m Chma 

of  trained  Europeans,  but  the  Chinese — not  unnatur- 
ally, one  must  admit — are  suspicious  of  foreign  aid. 
The  mining  concessions  already  granted  to  foreign 
nations  are  a constant  source  of  friction,  and  entail 
perpetual  controversy.  Misunderstandings  inevitably 
arise. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  of  all  the  changes 
taking  place  in  China  to-day  is  in  its  system  of  educa- 
tion. It  has  been  somewhat  unfairly  said  that  the 
only  things  she  cared  for  in  her  old  educational 
scheme  were  Scholarship  and  Style.  Had  there  not 
been  some  more  vital  quality  in  it,  it  could  hardly 
have  held  on  so  securely  for  many  hundred  years. 
That  vital  element  may  have  been  the  love  of  morals 
so  inseparably  connected  with  scholarship  in  China. 
Now  the  old  system  has  been  completely  abolished, 
and  the  Chinese  classics  are  in  danger  of  being 
relegated  to  the  background.  As  soon  as  the  change 
was  commenced  by  the  abolition  of  the  triennial 
examinations  thousands  of  students  flocked  to  Japan, 
eager  to  absorb  the  new  learning  which  was  to  re- 
place the  old.  This  was  no  difhcult  task  in  one  way, 
for  the  cultivation  of  the  memory  was  the  main  objedl 
of  the  former  education,  and  they  learnt  what  was 
taught  them  with  a readiness  which  naturally  led 
them  to  suppose  that  they  had  mastered  a subjedl 
when  they  had  committed  its  terms  to  memory.  The 
result  was  as  unsatisfactory  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated ; for  they  merely  brought  home  with  them  a 
second-hand,  unassimilated  collection  of  information 

267 


The  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

without  any  satisfa<5lory  foundation.  Japanese  in- 
fluence, which  was  paramount  after  the  amazing 
success  of  Japan  during  the  recent  war,  soon  waned, 
and  even  the  Japanese  themselves  have  deplored  the 
rashness  of  their  policy  with  regard  to  China.^  The 
returned  students  were  by  no  means  fitted  for  the 
position  of  becoming  teachers  of  “ Young  China.” 
The  impossibility  of  obtaining  competent  teachers 
of  Western  science  for  so  vast  an  empire  as  China 
must  be  obvious  to  every  one,  and  the  appointment 
of  unqualified  teachers  has  brought  much  confusion 
into  the  schools.  The  spirit  of  unrest  and  insubordi- 
nation has  been  steadily  growing,  and  the  Govern- 
ment has  tried  to  check  this  by  enjoining  a stridler 
worship  of  Confucius. 

In  mission  schools  the  influence  of  this  spirit  has 
also  been  felt,  although  in  a less  degree.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  all  missions  should  do  their 
best  to  counteradl  this  feeling  and  to  inculcate  loyalty 
and  obedience,  while  endeavouring  as  far  as  possible 
to  correlate  the  education  with  that  given  in  the 
Government  schools.  They  are  seriously  handicapped 
by  the  much  larger  salaries  now  offered  by  Govern- 
ment in  order  to  get  capable  teachers,  and  the 
missions  must  be  prepared  to  make  large  sacrifices 
if  they  are  to  continue  the  educational  work  which 
they  have  so  successfully  inaugurated.  They  have 
at  least  1500  primary  schools,  in  which  there  are 
not  less  than  30,000  scholars.  In  these  the  teaching 

* See  Count  Okuma’s  article  in  “The  Far  East.” 

268 


ch.  xxiv  Prese7n  Situatio?i  in  China 

is  usually  superior  to  that  of  the  Governmejit  schools, 
but  the  equipment  is  very  inferior. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  to  describe  here  the 
various  schemes  which  are  now  being  put  before  the 
British  public  for  carrying  on  the  education  of  those 
trained  in  mission  schools  into  the  higher  branches 
of  knowledge  implied  in  a college  training,  but  it 
is  of  supreme  importance  that  the  education  which 
is  given  by  Europeans — whether  in  mission  or  in 
other  schools — should  be  first-rate  in  quality.  It 
were  better,  if  need  be,  to  restridf  the  scope  of  opera- 
tions rather  than  allow  any  defedt  in  the  quality 
of  the  work.  It  has  been  the  tendency  of  most 
missions  to  undertake  more  work  than  they  could 
successfully  cope  with  ; and  while  admiring  the  re- 
sults they  have  achieved,  often  under  a heavy  strain, 
I cannot  but  hope  that  in  the  future  a more  generous 
support,  especially  in  the  matter  of  increased  staff, 
will  be  given  to  those  who  are  labouring  for  the 
educational  regeneration  of  China. 

An  increasing  number  of  students  are  going  to 
Great  Britain  and  America  for  education,  but  it  is 
recognised  that  there  are  difficulties  and  dangers  in 
this  course.  One  of  the  most  far-sighted  of  China’s 
statesmen,  H.E.  Tuan  Fang  has  instituted  a wise 
scheme  of  preparation  for  such  students.  There  is 
an  annual  examination  held  at  Nanking  for  all 
students  going  abroad  under  Government  auspices. 
In  1907  eighty-four  candidates  presented  themselves, 
of  whom  seventy-two  were  men  and  twelve  women. 

269 


T’he  Face  of  China  ch.  xxiv 

They  were  examined  in  the  following  subjects : 
English  composition,  translation  from  English  into 
Chinese  and  vice  versa ^ Latin,  French,  German, 
chemistry,  physics  and  physiology,  history,  geog- 
raphy, Chinese  composition,  geometry,  trigonometry, 
algebra.  The  only  failures  were  in  languages. 

In  a recent  ledlure  to  the  China  Society,  Mr. 
Cantlie  stated  the  fadt  that  the  average  size  of  the 
Chinese  brain  is  greater  than  that  of  any  other  race  ; 
and  certainly  the  students  who  have  come  over  to 
Europe  show  a capacity  of  not  only  keeping  up  with 
our  students  in  their  work,  but  frequently  of  sur- 
passing them. 

The  whole  civilised  world  looked  on  with  as- 
tonishment and  admiration  at  the  rapid  evolution  of 
the  Japanese  nation  in  recent  times,  and  now  the 
Chinese  Empire  has  resolved  to  make  a similar  change. 
It  has  a much  more  difficult  task  to  achieve,  and 
one  which,  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  Empire, 
is  likely  to  have  a far  greater  importance  for  the 
world  at  large.  The  Chinese  are  strongly  animated 
by  the  spirit  of  patriotism  ; they  have  great  qualities 
of  heart  and  mind,  and  a set  determination  to  carry 
through  the  necessary  reforms.  In  the  dark  ages  of 
the  past  they  were  the  pioneers  in  art,  science,  and 
philosophy  ; therefore  one  can  with  hopefulness  look 
forward  to  a yet  nobler  future,  and  trust  that  the  new 
era  which  is  beginning  may  be  one  of  ever-increasing 
greatness  for  the  Celestial  Empire. 


270 


TABLE  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL 
CHINESE  DYNASTIES 


Legendary  Chinese  history  extends  from  the  twenty-ninth 


to  the  tenth  century  B.c.,  the 
the  mists  being  the 
Chow  dynasty 
Han  „ 

Tang  „ 

Sung  „ 

Yuan  (the  Mongol) 

Ming 

Ching,  or  Ts’ing  (Manchu) 


first  dynasty  emerging  from 


1122  to  249  B.c. 


206 

B.C. 

to  220  A.D. 

00 

A.D. 

to  906  A.D. 

960 

» 1279,, 

1280 

» 

» 1367  » 

1368 

5) 

>)  ^^43  >> 

1643 

to  the  present  day. 

271 


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C y : . . 


INDEX 


^BORIGINALtribeSjKachins, 

253 

Lolos  or  Ibien,  175,  197,211 
Manzas,  2 1 1 
Miaos,  206-7,  210 
Ming  Chiaos,  235 
American  Episcopal  Mission,  ii 
Board  Mission  School,  Peking, 

34 

hospital,  68 
Presbyterians,  17,  40 
soldiers,  93 

Ancestral  worship,  119,  215 
Anti-footbinding,  168 
Arsenal,  42 

Art,  Chinese  and  Japanese,  100 

gABER,  175 
Bibuland,  21 1 
Baptist  Mission,  38,  40 
Belgian  Syndicate,  106 
Bhamo,  255 
Binyon,  Lawrence,  189 
Bodhisattva,  97 
Book  of  Rites,  50 
Boxers,  104,  43 
Bridegroom,  213 
Brooke,  174 
“Buddha’s  Glory,”  192 
Buddhism,  50,  64 
“ Buddhism  as  a Religion,”  ix,  166 
Buddhist  temples,  96,  193,  241 
monasteries,  64,  96-8,  164, 
1 90- 1 


^AMEL-BACK  bridge,  144 
Camels,  74 
Cantlie,  James,  2 70 
Chang  Chih  Tung,  215,  266 
Chaotung,  205-6 
Chefoo,  14 
Chen,  Ivan,  90 
Cheng  Ting,  80 
Chengtu,  Ch.  xv. 

Chili,  vij,  72 
China  Society,  69,  270 
“China’s  Only  Hope,”  215 
Ching,  Prince,  266 
Chowtsun,  27 
Christian  converts,  76-7 
“Cliff  of  the  Love  of  Life,” 

52 

Colleges,  Anglo-Chinese,  Tien- 
tsin, 7 1 

St.  John’s,  Shanghai,  10-12 
Tsinan,  40 

[ Union  Medical,  Peking,  41 
medical,  for  women,  Tientsin, 

i 

j “Concession,”  2,  112 
Confucius,  Ch.  vii. 
his  doctrine,  57-9,  I20 
grave,  61 
i worship,  268 

I sacrifices,  57 

! temple,  57 
! Constitution,  259 
Cormorant  fishing,  194,  198 
River,  201 


273 


s 


Index 


Cottonwool  fowl,  15 
Cruelty,  1 13 
Currency,  126-30 

J^ALAI  Lama,  98 

“ Doctrine  of  the  Mean,”  61 
Dragon,  symbolic,  189 
Dust  storms,  80,  98 

j^ARTH,  Temple  of,  96 
Education  question,  267 
Emperor,  present,  258 
late,  257,  258 
Shun,  49 
Yu  Huang,  49 

Empress,  Dowager,  100,  257-8 
Eton  hostel,  172 
Examinations,  military,  86 
triennial,  87-90 
hall,  Chengtu,  88 
Nanking,  269,  270 
Extra-territoriality,  260 

priNANCE  problem,  264,  266 
French  influence,  168,  218 
Friends’  Mission,  160 

^ERMAN  Sphere,  Ch.  ii. 

High  school,  14 
railway,  14 

Giles’s  “ Religions  of  Ancient 
China,”  ix 
Gin  Tien,  221 
Government,  258 
Grand  Council,  258,  266 
Canal,  Ch.  viii. 

Great  North  China  Plain,  no 
Great  Wall,  1 10 
Gunboat,  British,  144 

2 


ppACKMANN,  ix,  166 
Hall  of  the  Classics,  104 
Han  dynasty,  28 
Han  Lin,  90 
Han  Yang,  1 15 
Hankow,  111-5 
Hart,  Sir  Robert,  35 
Heaven,  altar  of,  95 
temple  of,  95 
and  Hell,  Temple  of,  81 
Gate  of,  49 

“ Heavenly  Gates,”  78 
Hong  Kong,  i,  2 
Hopkinson,  Professor,  86 
Hosie,  1 18,  148,  225 
Hwang  Ho,  68,  1 19 

J CHANG,  116-20 

Imperial  decrees,  on  Currency, 
126-30 

on  Opium,  262-6 
Infanticide,  212 
Irrigation,  152,  177 

ADE,  103 
James,  H.  E.  M.,  77 
Japanese  art,  100 
influence,  268 
Jordan,  Sir  John,  262 
Ju  Jen  degree,  90 

J^ACHINS,  253 

Kaifeng,  33 
Kiangsu,  262 
Kiaochow,  13 
Kiating,  181,  192 
Ku,  Mr.,  104 
Kiifow,  Ch.  vii. 

Kwan  Hsien,  177 

74 


Index 


Kwanyin,  97,  241 
Kweichow  Fu,  135 

J^AMA  temple,  Peking,  97 
Laowatan  Rapid,  201 
Li  Ching  Fong,  Lord,  69 
Li  Hung  Chang,  36,  69 
Likin,  264 
Lincheng,  107 
Little,  201 
Lo  Han,  65 

Local  government,  161,  258 
Loess  formation,  78 
Lolos,  175,  197,  21 1 
Loti,  Pierre,  18 
Lu,  monastery  of,  64 
Lu  Ch’uan  Lin,  266 
Lu  Feng  Hsien,  228 

I^JACGOWAN,  135 
Manchu  dress,  lOO 
Manchu  garrison,  26 
lady,  99 
yamen,  17 1 
Manchuria,  77 
Mandarin’s  palace,  6 
Manifold,  Col.,  158 
Mantsi  tombs,  183 
Manzas,  21 1 

Marco  Polo,  65,  163,  184 
Medical  missions,  40-42 
Mekong  River,  244 
Mencius,  56,  57 
Miaos,  206-7,  210 
Military  escort,  54 
Min  Hills,  177 
Min  River,  Ch.  xvi. 

Ming  Chiaos,  235 
Ming  Dynasty,  205 


I Mining  Concessions,  266-7 
I Museum,  38 
Myers,  Captain,  93 

1 ^ AIL  paintings,  99 
j Nanking,  269 
Nature  worship,  49,  50 
i North  China  Herald^  185 

I 

QFFICIAL  corruption,  260 
Okuma,  Count,  268 
Omi,  Mount,  Ch.  xvii. 

“ O mi  to  fu,”  203 
Opium,  80,  261-6 
“Orphan  spirit”  lights,  203 
Otter  fishing,  180 

pAOTING-FU,  72 
Paper  windows,  228 
Pehan  railway,  80 
Peiho  River,  73 
Peking,  Ch,  xi. 

Penshan,  184 
Police,  Sikh,  9 
Chinese,  161 
I Pollard,  S.,  204 
Post  Office,  Shanghai,  lO 
Postmaster,  British,  35,  248 
I Presbyterians,  77,  ii6 
i Prison  reform,  260 

I 

! “ pAILWAY  Enterprise 
China,”  Kent,  ix 
German,  14 
Chinese,  91 
Pehan,  Ch.  xii. 

Taiyiianfu,  80 
Regent,  257,  258 
Review,  84 

275 


Index 


gALWEEN  River,  246 
^ Schools,  girls’,  33,  34,  168 
mission,  268 
Sericulture,  28 
Shanghai,  Ch.  i. 

Shans,  249 
Shansi,  Ch.  ix.,  x. 

Shantung,  Ch.  ii. 

Shi  Hsii,  216 
Showyang,  82 
Shun  King  Fu,  155 
Shuntien  Fu,  265 
Siege  of  Peking,  93,  94 
Social  Reform,  260 
Soldiers,  Chinese,  39,  83,  172 
Students  in  England,  90,  169 
Sui  Fu,  195-7 
Szechwan,  Ch.  xiv. 

HTAI  An,  47 

Tai  Shan,  Ch.  vi. 
Taiyuanfu,  Ch.  x.,  viij,  113 
Tali  Fu,  Ch.  xxi. 

Taoism,  81 
Taping  River,  249 
Tehchow,  66,  68 
Teng  Yueh,  247-9 
Theatre,  82 
Theatricals,  250 
Tibetan  pilgrims,  191 
Tientsin,  70-72 
Tiger,  188,  189 
braves,  85 

“climb-mountain,”  48 
Towers  of  refuge,  204 
Tsinan,  Ch.  v. 


Tsingchowfu,  17 
Tsingtao,  13 
Tsinssu,  85 
Tsowping,  29 

Tuan  Fang,  H.E.,  258,  262,  269 
Tungchwan  Yun,  209 

UNIVERSITY,  Chengtu,  169 
Taiyuanfu,  81 
Tsinan,  32 
“ Uplift  of  China,”  ix 

"^EITCH’S  Chinese  shrubs,232 
Village  schools,  23,  24 


■\^AI  wupu,  258 

Wan  Yen  Sz,  186,  187 
Wang’s  village,  19-23 
Wanhsien,  144 
War,  Ministry  of,  85 
Wei-hai-wei,  71 


Weihsien,  16,  17 
Wesleyan  mission,  210 
Wheelbarrow  travelling,  20 


White  wax  insects,  183,  210 

Willow  pattern,  5 

Worship,  earliest  form  in  China, 

50 

Wu,  Lord,  42 
Wu  Chang,  1 15 


VELLOW  River,  Ch.  viii.,  109 
Yuan  Shih  Kai,  71,  258 
Yung  Chang  Fu,  245 
Yunnan,  province,  Ch.  xviii. 

Fu,  Ch.  XX. 


Printed  by  Ballantyne,  Hanson  <5r*  Co. 
Edinburgh  b‘  London 


